A bit of the background: I just resumed my house search and therefore spend a lot of time on various realtor websites doing my research on mortgages, market conditions and properties.
In addition to the houses I can actually afford, I browsed some that are out of my price range, just to see what "could have been" or for what exactly people are willing to pay a certain amount of money. Just now I stumbled upon a house worth $85 million... the damn place has an intercom... But of course since without it people in the kitchen won't know what people in the living room are doing.
And here's a scary thought, I actually found half a dozen countries whose GDP is lower than that, and another dozen that's only twice as much. And I am talking about entire nations here. You can probably feed half of African countries with the monthly payments on that house. Don't even have to involve the United Nations or World Hunger Relief Fund.
That could be one way to put an end to starvation of millions and millions of people... For a mere price of one house...
Just some food for thought... no pun intended.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Mystery man.
This time, it was R.'s birthday. And for the first time, I have to admit, I was nervous. I know I sounds as if it's a date but it was the first time I was meeting her mother..ugh talk about dating. And even though I don't think her opinion would have any reflection on our relationship, I wouldn't want to make a bad impression... Just in case.
We all went to a cozy restaurant in DC, just off Connecticut. Me, the usual self, was late, although this time only fifteen minutes or so and when I got there, R., R. and her mother were there. S. wasn't. R. said he called to tell her something came up and that he was running late. Nevertheless, we decided to start without him since no one knew when he was supposed to show up. The food was mediocre, and the wine was terrible but other than that, we had a great time for the next few hours. Since we finished dinner early, around 11pm or so, R. and I decided to visit a nearby bar, while R. volunteered to drive R.'s mother home.
-Will you drop R. off after you're done? - the mother asked me.
-No, I am just going to leave her in the middle of the street, - the smart ass me replied. I got a feeling she didn't like it. Oh well.
And so we were off to the bar. By the way, S. never showed up and ignored all R.'s calls. On our way to the bar, I told her about all the crap that happened on the trip and frankly, she was shocked. It did, however softened the blow of him not showing up to congratulate her...
We finally made it to O.E. (and found a parking, too). The bar was very nice and inviting. It was actually a restaurant that turned into the bar on weeknights and weekends. We found two bar stools, got some wine and carried on with our conversation. I haven't seen R. for a while so we had stuff we had to catch up on. I was finishing up my wine and we were about to leave afterwards when the bartender poured me another glass.
-I didn't order any more wine.
-This is the compliments of the gentleman on the other end of the bar.
Oh, OK. Now we had to stay so I could finish the wine, because it was awesome anyway. Plus, I wanted to thank the guy, whoever he may be. So I turned to "the other end of the bar", and saw four "gentlemen". Interesting... whom am I supposed to thank now? Regardless, I waived in that direction and smiled. I figured, whoever sent the drink, would smile back. I was right. Except, two of them waived back... OK, that is not good. Still, feeling as if I've accomplished what I set out to do, I turned my attention back to R. and we stayed at the bar for another half an hour or so until I finished my drink. As we were about to leave, several guys passed us by, and I heard one of them say, "You're welcome".
Well, that settles it.
We all went to a cozy restaurant in DC, just off Connecticut. Me, the usual self, was late, although this time only fifteen minutes or so and when I got there, R., R. and her mother were there. S. wasn't. R. said he called to tell her something came up and that he was running late. Nevertheless, we decided to start without him since no one knew when he was supposed to show up. The food was mediocre, and the wine was terrible but other than that, we had a great time for the next few hours. Since we finished dinner early, around 11pm or so, R. and I decided to visit a nearby bar, while R. volunteered to drive R.'s mother home.
-Will you drop R. off after you're done? - the mother asked me.
-No, I am just going to leave her in the middle of the street, - the smart ass me replied. I got a feeling she didn't like it. Oh well.
And so we were off to the bar. By the way, S. never showed up and ignored all R.'s calls. On our way to the bar, I told her about all the crap that happened on the trip and frankly, she was shocked. It did, however softened the blow of him not showing up to congratulate her...
We finally made it to O.E. (and found a parking, too). The bar was very nice and inviting. It was actually a restaurant that turned into the bar on weeknights and weekends. We found two bar stools, got some wine and carried on with our conversation. I haven't seen R. for a while so we had stuff we had to catch up on. I was finishing up my wine and we were about to leave afterwards when the bartender poured me another glass.
-I didn't order any more wine.
-This is the compliments of the gentleman on the other end of the bar.
Oh, OK. Now we had to stay so I could finish the wine, because it was awesome anyway. Plus, I wanted to thank the guy, whoever he may be. So I turned to "the other end of the bar", and saw four "gentlemen". Interesting... whom am I supposed to thank now? Regardless, I waived in that direction and smiled. I figured, whoever sent the drink, would smile back. I was right. Except, two of them waived back... OK, that is not good. Still, feeling as if I've accomplished what I set out to do, I turned my attention back to R. and we stayed at the bar for another half an hour or so until I finished my drink. As we were about to leave, several guys passed us by, and I heard one of them say, "You're welcome".
Well, that settles it.
Friday, February 22, 2008
The actual experience.
So on Wednesday, I allowed myself to ramble on about all the crappy things that happened during the trip. Today, I will focus on the positives, which were plentiful, too.
If I could, I swear I would live there for several months out of a year. Seriously. It is so peaceful and relaxing. It seems like people there have only three speeds, "Slow", "Stop" and "Reverse". And while it's frustrating when you are trying to buy something, it is super calming when it comes to all other aspects. It was such a drastic change from the forever-hectic DC that I was pleasantly surprised.
As I mentioned previously, we went diving every day. We left our hotel at 8am and didn't get back until 6pm. It was a pretty gruesome schedule but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Except, maybe, skydiving... The whole experience of being on the boat, sitting in the back and feeling the sun and salt water on your face was absolutely amazing. Nothing relaxes you more than being underwater, too. It is just unbelievably beautiful and peaceful. It seems as if time itself slows down. I spent anywhere from forty minutes to an hour at a time underwater, and every time it seemed as if only ten minutes have gone by.
The shark dive was also memorable. We actually did two, one regular and one where we fed them. Well, not we per se, but we were watching as they were given fish. My family said I am crazy when I told them I wanted to try it, but really, it was the only reason I went there in the first place. The sharks could care less about us, and did not pay any attention to people swimming past them. Once, I almost landed on it though... I don't think it would have liked it but thankfully I noticed the shark underneath me and managed to get away in time. During the feeding, there were probably around fifty sharks swimming around , once again, completely ignoring us. I sneaked in to pet one even though I wasn't supposed to... my bad. It was really smooth. Not slimy at all, like a grouper than I also touched several times. I think he liked the attention, cause he kept coming back and circling me. The only part that sucked was that it was freezing since we couldn't move around much. Not that anyone wanted to move seeing all these creatures swimming around. At the end of the dive, I managed to find a shark's tooth, which I was very excited about. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who found it, since they lose a lot of teeth when they are eating... so it took away from my thrill a bit. But no big deal. I saved it for later anyway.
The ship wrecks and an airplane wreck were exciting too, although I cut my hands pretty bad when I grabbed some railing trying to move forward. I forgot that it would be very rusty having laid there for who knows how many years.
The damn sun and my subsequent sunburn also ruined all my plans for a date with our boat captain. On our first day diving, he invited me for a night out on a town. Well, first, he somewhat casually inquired if I were married, and when I said no, told me he would like to take me out to show me the island. I was only too happy to accept, but when I woke up the next day and realized how badly I burned, I had to play it down and decline the offer. Damn it, he was so cute... I am still somewhat upset about it.
As a final aftermath of my trip, I got a haircut. The reason being is the same damn sunburn that kept me away from my would-be-fling. So now I am rocking a new hairdo and pretending I intended it to look this way from the start.
If I could, I swear I would live there for several months out of a year. Seriously. It is so peaceful and relaxing. It seems like people there have only three speeds, "Slow", "Stop" and "Reverse". And while it's frustrating when you are trying to buy something, it is super calming when it comes to all other aspects. It was such a drastic change from the forever-hectic DC that I was pleasantly surprised.
As I mentioned previously, we went diving every day. We left our hotel at 8am and didn't get back until 6pm. It was a pretty gruesome schedule but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Except, maybe, skydiving... The whole experience of being on the boat, sitting in the back and feeling the sun and salt water on your face was absolutely amazing. Nothing relaxes you more than being underwater, too. It is just unbelievably beautiful and peaceful. It seems as if time itself slows down. I spent anywhere from forty minutes to an hour at a time underwater, and every time it seemed as if only ten minutes have gone by.
The shark dive was also memorable. We actually did two, one regular and one where we fed them. Well, not we per se, but we were watching as they were given fish. My family said I am crazy when I told them I wanted to try it, but really, it was the only reason I went there in the first place. The sharks could care less about us, and did not pay any attention to people swimming past them. Once, I almost landed on it though... I don't think it would have liked it but thankfully I noticed the shark underneath me and managed to get away in time. During the feeding, there were probably around fifty sharks swimming around , once again, completely ignoring us. I sneaked in to pet one even though I wasn't supposed to... my bad. It was really smooth. Not slimy at all, like a grouper than I also touched several times. I think he liked the attention, cause he kept coming back and circling me. The only part that sucked was that it was freezing since we couldn't move around much. Not that anyone wanted to move seeing all these creatures swimming around. At the end of the dive, I managed to find a shark's tooth, which I was very excited about. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who found it, since they lose a lot of teeth when they are eating... so it took away from my thrill a bit. But no big deal. I saved it for later anyway.
The ship wrecks and an airplane wreck were exciting too, although I cut my hands pretty bad when I grabbed some railing trying to move forward. I forgot that it would be very rusty having laid there for who knows how many years.
The damn sun and my subsequent sunburn also ruined all my plans for a date with our boat captain. On our first day diving, he invited me for a night out on a town. Well, first, he somewhat casually inquired if I were married, and when I said no, told me he would like to take me out to show me the island. I was only too happy to accept, but when I woke up the next day and realized how badly I burned, I had to play it down and decline the offer. Damn it, he was so cute... I am still somewhat upset about it.
As a final aftermath of my trip, I got a haircut. The reason being is the same damn sunburn that kept me away from my would-be-fling. So now I am rocking a new hairdo and pretending I intended it to look this way from the start.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Unaccustomed.
It's amusing how quickly I forgot what it is having a nasty weather and pouring rain. But it is exactly what I came home to last night. It was such a harsh transition from what seemed to be an eternal sunshine that my mood sunk just as fast as rain droplets disappeared in puddles I was passing by. Don't you just love it when you're in this philosophical mood...
I'll try to make everything as compact as possible. Hopefully, no more than two posts.
So, last Wednesday night, after I was finally done with my packing (I hate packing, by the way), I went to DC to meet several friends and make my last night before departure as entertaining as possible. I finally made it there by 12:30am (whose fault is it that I started packing at 11PM?) when everyone was already there. As soon as I got there, I found R. and R. and also ran into M., who apparently just came back from overseas as well. We all proceeded downstairs where we found S. and as R. and R. joined him on the dance floor, M. and I made our way to the bar. We chatted up a bit and I found out that he is going back in a few weeks. Perfect life... paid vacations and spending more time outside of work than at it.
Soon thereafter, R. and R. left, but we stayed till the place closed down. That was a bad decision number one. S. was dragging his feet and we didn't get out of there until 3am. On our way to pick up the equipment, I found out that he didn't even pack. Bad decision number two. I could understand if he was working earlier and didn't have time, but I knew for sure he was off that day, so I couldn't comprehend the fact that he wasn't ready yet. Because of that, we left the house late and were doing 90-something miles an hour in order to drop my car off and still make it to the airport. Trust me, it's not the best way to go at 4am on the empty roads when you had several drinks. I just don't get it.
We made it to National an hour before the plane's departure. It was just our luck that the plane was delayed and we got some extra time to get the tickets and check in our luggage. One observation I made though, was that during out long luggage haul through the airport, S. didn't offer his help once. Not once. Despite the fact that I had two huge bags and a carry-on, and he was twice my size. I have to admit it, it ticked me off. Perhaps it's just me, but in my world, guys offer their help if they see the girl is struggling with something. I never had it happened where I went on a vacation or was simply carrying heave bags when a guy was there. They would always offer their help. Not him. And I am saying that not because I hypothetically couldn't carry the bags myself. No, it is just a common courtesy to offer some help. And going a bit ahead of myself, he never offered any help. Not when we were changing planes in Philly, not on our way back. Anyhow, moving on.
We got to our hotel that afternoon and the first thing I wanted to do was go downtown and walk around a bit since we weren't supposed to be doing anything that Thursday. The first thing S. wanted to do was to get food and go to sleep. Really, is that why people go on vacation? To sleep? After almost half an hour of convincing him, we went downtown to grab some food and look around. Oh well, at least I got something out of it.
The next few days were pretty much a blur, since all we did was dive. We spent every day on the boat enjoying the weather. At the end of the day, I wanted to go out, but S. was always tired and didn't express any desire to go anywhere, so we stayed in watching TV and eating pizza. Fun... The Sunday morning before we left, he said he wanted to go out once we get back from the ocean. However, as soon as we got home that afternoon, he went to bed without mentioning anything. The next day, he asked why I didn't wake him up. Really, did he actually get a nerve to ask me that? Normally, when a person goes to sleep without telling me to wake them up, I assume they don't want to do anything... That's a reasonable assumption, right? Well, according to him, I was supposed to wake him up. That's not the rule in my world, I'm sorry. Usually, when a person tells me something, I rely on them to follow through with it. Not the other way around.
Honestly speaking, by Monday I was happy I was going home. Back to my world.
Our flight back was a bit bumpy, but it didn't matter since I was looking forward to going home. I did manage to buy the last-minute souvenirs for my family in case they try to guilt me about it later...
OK, enough for this post, it's already runneth over.
I'll try to make everything as compact as possible. Hopefully, no more than two posts.
So, last Wednesday night, after I was finally done with my packing (I hate packing, by the way), I went to DC to meet several friends and make my last night before departure as entertaining as possible. I finally made it there by 12:30am (whose fault is it that I started packing at 11PM?) when everyone was already there. As soon as I got there, I found R. and R. and also ran into M., who apparently just came back from overseas as well. We all proceeded downstairs where we found S. and as R. and R. joined him on the dance floor, M. and I made our way to the bar. We chatted up a bit and I found out that he is going back in a few weeks. Perfect life... paid vacations and spending more time outside of work than at it.
Soon thereafter, R. and R. left, but we stayed till the place closed down. That was a bad decision number one. S. was dragging his feet and we didn't get out of there until 3am. On our way to pick up the equipment, I found out that he didn't even pack. Bad decision number two. I could understand if he was working earlier and didn't have time, but I knew for sure he was off that day, so I couldn't comprehend the fact that he wasn't ready yet. Because of that, we left the house late and were doing 90-something miles an hour in order to drop my car off and still make it to the airport. Trust me, it's not the best way to go at 4am on the empty roads when you had several drinks. I just don't get it.
We made it to National an hour before the plane's departure. It was just our luck that the plane was delayed and we got some extra time to get the tickets and check in our luggage. One observation I made though, was that during out long luggage haul through the airport, S. didn't offer his help once. Not once. Despite the fact that I had two huge bags and a carry-on, and he was twice my size. I have to admit it, it ticked me off. Perhaps it's just me, but in my world, guys offer their help if they see the girl is struggling with something. I never had it happened where I went on a vacation or was simply carrying heave bags when a guy was there. They would always offer their help. Not him. And I am saying that not because I hypothetically couldn't carry the bags myself. No, it is just a common courtesy to offer some help. And going a bit ahead of myself, he never offered any help. Not when we were changing planes in Philly, not on our way back. Anyhow, moving on.
We got to our hotel that afternoon and the first thing I wanted to do was go downtown and walk around a bit since we weren't supposed to be doing anything that Thursday. The first thing S. wanted to do was to get food and go to sleep. Really, is that why people go on vacation? To sleep? After almost half an hour of convincing him, we went downtown to grab some food and look around. Oh well, at least I got something out of it.
The next few days were pretty much a blur, since all we did was dive. We spent every day on the boat enjoying the weather. At the end of the day, I wanted to go out, but S. was always tired and didn't express any desire to go anywhere, so we stayed in watching TV and eating pizza. Fun... The Sunday morning before we left, he said he wanted to go out once we get back from the ocean. However, as soon as we got home that afternoon, he went to bed without mentioning anything. The next day, he asked why I didn't wake him up. Really, did he actually get a nerve to ask me that? Normally, when a person goes to sleep without telling me to wake them up, I assume they don't want to do anything... That's a reasonable assumption, right? Well, according to him, I was supposed to wake him up. That's not the rule in my world, I'm sorry. Usually, when a person tells me something, I rely on them to follow through with it. Not the other way around.
Honestly speaking, by Monday I was happy I was going home. Back to my world.
Our flight back was a bit bumpy, but it didn't matter since I was looking forward to going home. I did manage to buy the last-minute souvenirs for my family in case they try to guilt me about it later...
OK, enough for this post, it's already runneth over.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Lacking.
I haven't established what exactly, but I certainly have been over the past three weeks. It's been dull and monotonous like never before. Although I do say it quite often. I guess I can never get used to boredom. Plus, the damn Valentine's Day is coming up. Sometimes I want to slap the person who invented it. Not only because I do not believe in expressing your love in the form of standardized heart-shaped boxes of candy and red roses, but also due to the fact that I always manage to end up single by the mid-month. Take the past five years, for example. In 2002, I was single but have met this cute army boy by the end of the month as I was getting my tattoo done. Next year, I have just broken up with J., who I have to admit was my rebound from R. 2004 was the year when I miscalculated a guy's feelings for me when I told him I liked him only to find out that he didn't, but still ended up going out with him and his friends for dinner and drinks. Nothing came out of that though. In 2005, I was briefly seeing L. who was another rebound from R., so naturally I wasn't interested in celebrating anything. The end of January 2006 was the time when B. and I have broken up because he wanted something more serious and I didn't. And finally, last year I was dating A. but we did not get serious enough by Valentine's and once again the celebration fizzled. That makes it six years actually, but you get the point. And for the list to be complete, in 2001 I was seeing A. (or M., I don't recall exactly) but we've also broken up a week before the 14th. So there's no wonder that I feel somewhat hostile towards this holiday and cannot wait till it passes.
The only thing I am truly looking forward to is my vacation to Nassau. At least it starts in exactly twelve hours. Give or take two. We decided to go out tonight since it is Wednesday anyway, and then go to the airport straight from the club since our plane leaves at 6am. If everything goes according to the plan, we will leave at 3:30am, and be at the airport by 4:30am the latest. As long as S. packs and does everything he needs to do tomorrow. Hopefully...
But going back to boredom. I haven't been posting lately since nothing exciting happened at work, at home or in my personal life. I've also been staying in a lot lately since it is way too cold to venture outside anyway. I've dropped all the guys and have been enjoying a single life again. Except, enjoying is not the right word since, I don't know if I mentioned it, but it has been pretty dull lately. I still have my work crush to dwell on though. Seriously, why can't I for once fall for the person who falls for me and stop creating these weird triangles? Regardless, I am taking a break from everyone and everything. I do need some time to think and get away and think over a lot of stuff that has happened lately. This vacation actually comes pretty handy right about now. I have very mixed feelings about a lot of people right about now and being away from them would help me evaluate the situation and maybe even find a solution. Or at least figure out how I really feel about them.
I will be back next Monday with details.
Oh and did I mention it has been... umm... dull lately?
Damn, I am so eloquent!
The only thing I am truly looking forward to is my vacation to Nassau. At least it starts in exactly twelve hours. Give or take two. We decided to go out tonight since it is Wednesday anyway, and then go to the airport straight from the club since our plane leaves at 6am. If everything goes according to the plan, we will leave at 3:30am, and be at the airport by 4:30am the latest. As long as S. packs and does everything he needs to do tomorrow. Hopefully...
But going back to boredom. I haven't been posting lately since nothing exciting happened at work, at home or in my personal life. I've also been staying in a lot lately since it is way too cold to venture outside anyway. I've dropped all the guys and have been enjoying a single life again. Except, enjoying is not the right word since, I don't know if I mentioned it, but it has been pretty dull lately. I still have my work crush to dwell on though. Seriously, why can't I for once fall for the person who falls for me and stop creating these weird triangles? Regardless, I am taking a break from everyone and everything. I do need some time to think and get away and think over a lot of stuff that has happened lately. This vacation actually comes pretty handy right about now. I have very mixed feelings about a lot of people right about now and being away from them would help me evaluate the situation and maybe even find a solution. Or at least figure out how I really feel about them.
I will be back next Monday with details.
Oh and did I mention it has been... umm... dull lately?
Damn, I am so eloquent!
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