The Last Lunch.

I did it. I made it through a year of uncertainty (only to be followed-up on with more!) and the challenges

Dear Cleaning Dude

You seem like a very nice man.

Corner Work Need Not Apply

I have a friend that needed a hobby. Hobby idea given to her: find me a job and potential housing in MN or DC (yeah, I'm getting back into politics....mayyyyyybe).

Once given the task she sarted to find a lot of random jobs that seemed only to be best marked as "interesting".

Jobs Selected:

- Marketing for random group (okay)
- Karaoke manager (umm, no)
- Ad researcher (sounded shady at best)

Before I could let her go on I decided to lay some ground rules....

1. requirement should not include: Must be able to stand at corner for long periods of time and accepts only cash
2. Costume wearing
3. Maid with costume options
4. Involves going into campus bars late at night
5. Wearing a headset
6. Anything that requires door-knocking

Before eHarmony there was Hoard's Dairyman

I'll admit it for I am very guilty of my own pre-"e" days when I was searching for The One. At a young age a lot of the magazines that littered my dad's desk were farming/dairy based mags. Seeing I loved to read anything available I would pick-up the magazines to read about the latest technology with milking parlors or a new way to handle a displaced abomasum.

Soon I learned that whenever they did an article about a farmer, they ALWAYS included age and location. From then on I started to grab all magazines possible....Hoard's Dairyman, Progressive Dairy, Country, Holstein World, etc. to check out the latest crop of elgible bachelors. It was a great pre-screening process cause when you do a write-up about the farmer you typcially include the stats of the farm. As in, number of acres, techniques used, herd head-count and so on. Pop in a picture to show him by the livestock or tractor and then I know which breed of animal and implements he preferred.

My list was a bit particular:

Holstein
1,000 acres
300+ head
John Deere
Chevy
Age: 25-33
Owner (or co-owner)
Uses technology
Belongs to at least one association

I continued this tradition throughout college - it wasn't hard to go into the Dairy Science Dept. reading room and gather up the magazines. But I found that the habit soon waned off once I moved away from the farm life and lacked the subscriptions. It is also awkward seeing boys that I actually knew from my collegiate days in there. But I have a feeling this may start-up again seeing I'll be located back on the farm for awhile and yup, still single! Yeah, there may be technology to do the screening, like eHarmony, but I prefer to do my market research the old school way.

I think I'll make it my new morning coffee break habit.

Best Evite Ever....... I mean EVER

Okay, you got it. I'm moving. Blah, blah, blah...it was tough for me to move away from MN friends & family and then from DC to Philly but it's only getting worse. More than anything it's gonna be tough leaving the quick access (3 hr drive) to DC for a fun weekend of spirits, sports, friends (urban family), gluttony AND political drivel.

But the last time in DC (as an east-coaster) will be spent at a b-day bash for two buddies. As I opened the Evite for the party I realized that all those times I've asked myself, "How is it that I'm friends with y'all?" this evite pretty much sums it up. We are all very much like one another. Humor - check. Ideals - check. Politcs - check. Check, check, check!

So to share - here's what the Evite said:

Join us to mourn the passing of yet another year for these two political hack Valentine babies. Bring your Halloween fatigue, prepare for holidays and family fatigue, and help the two old fogeys trying to lift themselves out of their post-election doldrums and malaise. (Ok, fine - it's really more Tony who can't tell up from down right now; Chris is taking the loss pretty well.)

November surprises aplenty will be in store. We'll have lots and lots of wings. Seriously. Would Tiger Woods and Mammy Ahmadinejad do any less?

Names A-M bring intoxicating liquid spirits. Wine ok, but NO WINE COOLERS.
Names N-Z bring chips, dips, or otherwise tasty snack products.


Updated Gameday odds:
- The milk-stealing rando from the last Pirate Party comes back. 37:1
- Random gunplay. 15:1
- Tony throws (or golfs) something off the balcony. 7:1
- Chris sings karaoke. 5:1
- Tony throws Chris off the balcony after karaoke. 5:2
- Tony divorces the wife again after she brings wine coolers. 10:3
- Chris says something that transforms Shannon into Chainsaw. 4:1
- Something explodes. 3:1
- Chris & Tony get into a fight over Article II vs. Article I of the Constitution. 2:1
- Running out of Bourbon. EVEN MONEY.

Street parking is available. Crystal City & Pentagon City Metro Stations are closest, and if you really care about the Birthday Boys, you'll be drinking with them and shouldn't be driving.


~~~~~~~~

Yup. I'll miss these guys!

Resignation

It's done and in the books.

Words present: Challenge - Immersion - Success - Prosper - Rewards - Lessons

Last Day - November 24th

It's quite a relief and (shhh!) exciting. I've come to desire the nomadic lifestyle. I will actually miss living out east for two reasons - proximity to so many cities and my 'urban-family' have been awesome. Not to say that I will not enjoy being back in my homeland and near those family and friends - but I know it will be a difficult transition. So, for those of you there, please note that I love you and am excited to be back; it's just that for a while I may be a bit sad and missing what I've called home since 2006.

So the transition weeks are ahead. Here's to hoping I do not have to replace my timing belt/water pump at the expense of $1,100 that I was quoted this morning and that I will get a decent U-haul trailer this time around. Also, here's to saying goodbye to the things I will not miss.....

1. warm winters
2. tolls
3. nasty traffic
4. expensive gas
5. snobs that consider me from "fly-over" country
6. bad grocery stores
7. scary newscasts
9. slimy(er) politics
10. fake aura & rhetoric

Though as I say adios to them with not a tear, I will hug a dear goodbye to:

1. life-long friendships
2. convienence - transportation
3. the ocean
4. D.C. & policy wonkers
5. early America (history)
6. cheeseteaks & Rocky
7. Rosslyn Beach
8. PCC (both)
9. good shoe smiths & cheap dry cleaners
10. frequent flyer miles

Russia will take the lead.

All I have to say is that I am happy to be looking for a new job seeing that much of what I've been working for in these past three years will now be thrown out or heavily challenged.

Oh and look.......

In & Out

I voted. I surprised myself on a few local. But trust me - I'm still wearing red.

Dirty - One Plate & One Cup

My office is a growing office. When I came on board I was no. 7 in the office. Our sample room doubled as our kitchen and there was no room to sit for lunch. Things have changed a bit - we now have our own kitchen, table and chairs, microwave, ect, yet we are lacking real dishes. So from the beginning it was customary to bring in your own cups, mugs, silverware and whatnot to make it through your lunch period. With that I found it best to just go out and buy a set of 4 plastic cups, 2 microwavable plates, a glass bowl and a nice mug. I made my own little pantry area in the kitchen for my dishes & food. People knew it was mine and all was good.

Until a week ago.

The new person.

Has yet to get it.

Today I found victim no. 2 in the sink. My favorite white cup all dirty and it wasn't done by me.

I have yet to 'see' her doing this but it just seems quite coincidental that this all started after she came on board. So what have I done? I stashed the dishes in my desk drawer. Childish - perhaps but she's rubbed me the wrong way since day one so here it is....No more dirting my dishes pal!