A Deluxe Apartment in the Sky

Well, not exactly. But my new apartment does have quite the view. It's on the ninth floor (of nine) looking North. You can see the National Cathedral, the Catholic Basilica, and the roof of Whole Foods! I'm moved in, but not completely organized and unpacked. Still, it's so nice to have a sanctuary of my own in this town. I even have internet and cable already! I also have a home phone, but I can't find the phone so that's not much good for now. I swear it was packed, but if I can't find it, I'll have to go buy one somewhere. I need one to ring people in/out at my building.

The sad news is that my beloved couch, recently nicknamed the Grecian Urn, has gone to heaven. It was too big to fit in the elevator or up the stairwell, so I just sat it out back and told the maintenece manager that he could do with it as he saw fit. It's gone now, and I don't want to think where. I just like to think of the fond memories I had with the couch.

Now I have to buy a smaller couch/futon. Probably a futon, since they can be folded up and transported easier than some big ass sofa. Money I wasn' t planning on spending. Plus it's going to cost me $315 to get my car fixed so that it can pass the emissions test for the city. Always something, huh?

I bought all kinds of neat new stuff for my apartment this weekend. I thought I'd try the KMart near the Mixters' house in Fairfax, and lo and behold they had all kinds of cute stuff. That Martha Stewart Everyday line sure has some good stuff. It's boring to list it all, but ask yourself this: when was the last time you dropped $256 at the KMart? It's all good, but still shocking to think that I spent that much money there. Oh well, I'm just investing in their survival. Everyone goes to Target, so they'll be fine, and Wal-Mart, of course, is the devil.

Cory bought me a ticket to go see Almost ABBA with him and some friends of his this weekend. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! We got drunk and sung/danced our asses off at the show. Afterwards we went to this cool bar, Saint-Ex, then Cory and I went to Halo (smoke-free gay bar across the street from my house). We were quite drunk, and I fell as I was sitting down (had already quit drinking by this point). Someone who worked there came over and told me, politely, that I needed to leave, so we did. Sunday was a major recovery day, and I was completely wiped out. Good times, though.

The Smells of the City

Not a day goes by when I'm not asked for money by some bum in this town. Rarely do I even leave the building to walk anywhere that someone doesn't come up and ask for a dollar, 50 cents, a quarter. One time a lady said "help me get on the bus!" which, now that I think back, was she just asking for physical help, like she was handicapped? Considering that there wasn't a bus parked at the intersection, I think not. Another bum.

I'm not heartless ... really ... my friends know that I'm not. I just don't want to encourage that kind of behavior by giving someone money, food, or anything. Think about it, if bums never got anything from anyone, the appeals would likely taper off. They'd have to be a little more creative to get money. I realize I am sounding like some big ol' red-stater with this talk, but I know that there are services, soup kitchens, shelters, and missions out there. If I became homeless myself for any reason, I'd be knocking on the door or social services every day and doing everything in my power to pull myself out of the scenario in which I had found myself. A lot of the bums in this city, I believe, aren't homeless. They're just lazy and have no dignity. The bums that are actually homeless are either lazy, mentally ill, or just don't know what to do to pull themselves out of their respective situations. You can only help someone so much. If the city is providing adequate services to those less fortunate, then it's up to them to do their part. As the cliche goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

I'm also not sure which of the offensive smells that are found in a city are the most offensive to me. Sewer, urine, dumpsters, diesel exhaust, dirty bum, or even cigarettes. I'm amazed that sometimes I am relieved when I smell a cigarette outside if that cigarette is masking a more offensive odor. I used to always associate the smell of cigarettes outdoors with flea markets.

While there are some bums and street people wandering around my new neighborhood, they're at a minimum. Logan Circle isn't the most touristy area, and we all know that bums love tourists. As long as I don't see any sleeping in the bushes or on the stairs of my building, I think I can manage.

With this blog entry, I can probably kiss my shot at public office as a Democrat goodbye. Lord, when this gets out years from now ... LOL

"She Wore a Raspberry Beret ..."

So I'm back from my super-quick trip to Atlanta, topped off by a great party on Saturday night. There were so many fun people who showed up this weekend ... my sister, Kim, Victoria, Keri, Brad ... those were the inner circle who stayed with us all weekend. Keri even baked me and Jamie a Smurf birthday cake from one of those old-school cake mold pans. Lots of guests brought alcohol, Jamie made PJ, and we also got some beer and a bunch of mixers. Believe it or not, I didn't drink one Red Bull the entire evening! That still didn't keep me from having a hangover on Sunday. It wasn't an aweful hangover, just one that lingered all day despite my typical hangover cure-alls.

Brad, Jamie, Victoria, and Rob all made pictures, though Brad made the most and the best. He even made a video of Jamie, Keri, Vic, and Rob dancing to Prince's "Raspberry Beret" which was hysterical!

Another cool thing was that Jamie and I hooked up the PC to the big stereo speakers in the living room so we could make a party playlist from our mp3s. It worked perfectly, plus I got to choose 90% of the playlist myself. Now I wasn't selfish and put on a lot of R&B, Hip-Hop, and "whoop-whoop" dance music; I did think of the likes/dislikes of the entire crowd. My only instruction came from Whit, who told me to lay off the Atlantic Starr. I did oblige her, despite my urges to irritate her.

The movers came on Sunday morning while we were all trying to recover. In my less-than-lucid state, however, I didn't do a good job of picking out things that I didn't want packed. The movers packed my briefcase (since I stored it in the closet for the party), which has my cell phone charger, palm pilot, passport, checkbook, sunglasses, regular glasses, mp3 player, and other important stuff. They also packed up all my shoes except for my Adidas flip-flops, which I was wearing (and ultimately had to wear home on the plane). Oh well, nothing much that I can't live with until Friday.

There were some lookers at the party, let me tell you. My hot real estate agent, Rich, came with his partner John. The embarassing thing is that Whit said to him "oh, so you're the hot real estate agent!" Rich didn't care, I was just horribly embarassed! This guy Will L. who lives down the street came, too. He's pretty hot, and I would have already asked him out had I not been moving. There were a few randoms who showed up, too, who weren't invited. I really didn't care, since Jamie and I told everyone to bring whomever, but it was interesting to see who from our past lives showed up. This one guy Jamie K. that I had went out with a few times showed up, and he and Rob wound up hooking up in Jamie's (my Jamie's) room! I didn't care, since I had zero attraction to Jamie K., it was just funny. Flight Attendant Chris also showed up, who went out with Jamie for a while. This guy Rod showed up, too, who I'd hooked up with a few times. That was back in my sluttier days, which I can proudly say have been curtailed quite a bit as I have gotten older.

But now I'm back in DC and missing all my friends. My stuff will be delivered to my new apartment on Friday, so I'm looking forward to that A LOT. It was just sad to leave my house all empty looking. I'm really going to miss it, too. Oh, well, if Jamie holds up his end of the bargain and takes care of it (which he will, I have complete confidence), I'll see it again! Of course, Jamie's painting my bedroom this week, which I'm not thrilled about. But c'est la vie!

It's oh so quiet ...

I'm the only person in the office today. It's a University holiday, but I'm making up for being sick last week. It's okay ... still nice and quiet in here. I have heard sirens nearly non-stop since I got to work though. Being only a few blocks from the Capitol has its disadvantages, too. At least there's street and foot traffic by my window to keep my company. Everything is closed down here, though ... including many restaurants. Union Station closes at 3:00pm (since one of the balls will be held there tonight), but I'm assuming that the foodcourt will be open to help feed the hordes of tacky Republicans who have come into the District for the inauguration.

My commute in was not too bad. The trains got crowded only once we got in the District. I got to park on the 2nd level of the parking deck, which is unheardof on normal days. However, there was a HUGE crowd buying Metro passes at the Vienna station. Thank God I had my SmarTrip card! You should have heard the dumbass people talking on the train, though. All tourists or Jesus-freak suburbanites. Changing trains at Metro Center was no picnic, though ... we were packed in like sardines. As soon as I got off at Judiciary Square, I took that opportunity to add more $$ to my SmarTrip card since it was nearly empty. I sure wasn't waiting until later to do it ... don't want to be met with another gigantic crowd of people who don't know how to use the farecard machines.

(Sidebar: I'm such a bastard ... I myself was having the same trouble figuring out those farecard machines just a few weeks ago, so I know I was getting the same groans and looks. Well, it's a cultural caste system here, c'mon.)

Turns out that the movers can come this weekend while I'm in Atlanta ... on Sunday, to be exact. They're going to deliver my stuff to me on Friday late afternoon, January 28, which is perfect! Ah, to think that I'll only have to tackle the devilish commute from Virginia for only one more week. Now I have to deal with getting all my car stuff taken care of before I move in. You have to have a residential permit to park in many neighborhoods in DC, and you can't get one of those until your car is registered in DC, and you can't do that until you have your car inspected and be licensed to drive in DC, and you can't do that until you have auto insurance in DC. See what a rigid protocol there is! You'd think in the nation's capitol they'd have government a little more streamlined, but no! There's actually only one place for EVERYONE in the District to get their car inspected! How's that for stupid? Georgia has tons of them. Hell, even the aformentioned backwards Virginia has several. Oh well, I'll get through it! It can't be worse than my DUI.

Happy Birthday to Me

So today's my birthday. Yep, I'm officially 28 now. It really doesn't bother me, since 27 wasn't anything special rights-wise, as is 28. Hey, I read where American Idol has raised their age restrictions from 24 to 28 for this season, so maybe there's hope still for me. Yeah right, I would rather suckle from the teet of a dirty old pig than be on that show.

It's kind of an odd birthday since I'm in DC now and hardly anyone knows me, much less knows it's my birthday. I kept forgetting today was my birthday until I saw a date on the newspaper, a clock, my computer, an email, etc. I got some sweet friends who emailed me cards, and of course my parents remembered, but then there are others who just let the day slip by without even a "happy birthday" hasty email. I'm a little bitter right this second, but I'll forgive them of it tomorrow, since I'm hardly the friend who always remember to say "happy birthday" (though I rarely forget the actual birthday). I'm also not the kind of person who makes a big deal out of ceremonial or token acts; I believe how a friend or family member treats you every day is more demonstrative of how they feel about you than if they happen to say "happy birthday" or something else so piddly.

I also signed a lease on a new apartment here in DC today! That was probably the highlight of my day, honestly. Never thought turning over $1000+ would be a highlight, huh? Well this is the first step to me finally getting settled in this city. It hurts to be away from Atlanta, and I really haven't mentally grasped the fact that I am actually moving my stuff here permanently. In the back of my mind I still feel like I'm on some temporary work assignment and that soon I'll pack up and head back to Atlanta, safe and sound in my wonderful house with my wonderful friends. Anyway, I take possession of the apartment on Friday, January 28.

Though I've already laid the groundwork for some good friends here. Both Cory and Christian wished me a happy birthday today and both seem genuinely excited to have me around. That bodes well for my friend-making abilities and how they've vastly improved and matured from when I was starting out in Atlanta. Cory is taking me to dinner on Thursday night and to an ABBA tribute concert in a few weeks. Christian took me out Saturday night for dinner and drinks with his friends (nearly all of which were really cute ... and coupled), and told me to let him know when I get back from ATL.

So things are off to a good, albeit emotionally rocky, start. I'll get there, folks, I'm just impatient as hell!

Virginia, What Is Your Problem?

So I'm actually not living in Washington, D.C., right now. I'm temporarily living in Oakton, Va., which is a suburb of D.C., albeit not a far-flung suburb. It's about 30 minutes driving from Oakton to whever I wind up going in the District, but during normal rush-hour (when I'm taking Metro), it takes about 1hr and 10mins to get door-to-door. That, plus the fact that the commute costs me $11 a day, is certainly motivating me to find a place of my own intown quickly. I've verbally committed to a place at 14th and Rhode Island, and I'll do all the official document-signing and money-exchanging tomorrow once the banks are open again.

But back to Virginia. It's really an odd state (or an odd "commonwealth", excuse me). It barely feels Southern (at least the DC suburban portion of the state doesn't), but is bizzarely obsessed with all things Southern. A lot of it comes from the fact that a lot of the battles fought during the Civil War took place on Northern Virginia soil. Robert E. Lee's home is in Arlington, too. So Virginia has roads like Lee Highway, Jefferson Davis Highway, and Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, and it has a high school called JEB Stuart (another Confederate general). I mean, not even in South Carolina were there so many memorials to Confederate generals or leaders. Thers's a Confederate soldier memorial on the grounds of the state house in Columbia which gets lots of attention from civil rights groups, but no one seems to mind one bit that so many roads and other things are named for Confederates in Virginia.

Also, since everyone in the Virginia suburbs is wealthy and white (or Asian), there really isn't that much crime to speak of (seemingly), so the cops focus in on speeders like crazy. I got a speeding ticket, myself, on my first night here. I was speeding and the ticket was justified, but everywhere you go in this state there are cops clocking speeders and/or speed traps set up. They even ban radar detectors here. Folks, Virginia does not play.

Virginia government is also a lot more conservative than you would imagine for such a watered-down Southern state. Northern Virginia vs. Virginia is a lot like Atlanta vs. Georgia in terms of government. NoVa has to put up with a lot of stupid, back-assward legislators from the rest of the state who invariably create laws which pull the entire state down. Just like Atlanta (a blue island in a red sea is a good analogy). Now across the river in Maryland, it's like another world. Much more moderate/democratic. If I ever buy a house outside of the district, it'll surely be in Maryland. I like their state flag better anyway.

The Election is Over! Take Off Your Stickers!

It's inauguration week coming up in Washington, so the city is getting ready for the onslaught of rich Republicans from around the country who will be gathering for the second inauguration of "Shrub" (a.k.a. President George W. Bush). Georgetown Law Center is actually in the security zone that will be closed off to vehicle traffic on Jan. 19 & 20, so I won't have to worry about dodging taxi drivers as I walk to work, at least.

We're sure to see lots of those horribly repulsive "W The President" stickers and the (sadly) even more heinous "W Still The President" stickers on cars with license plates besides Virginia next week. Another one that galls me just as much is the one that reads "Support PRESIDENT BUSH and our Troops", with PRESIDENT BUSH in slightly larger font than the rest of the script. As if just supporting the troops wasn't good enough! Some folks just aren't aware that the two entities are just that: seperate entities! You can support one without supporting the other! I think it's quite insulting to use a genuine symbol of support for our military into a partisan slap on the back for the draft-dodging, coke-snorting dummy whose pals tricked the mentally less nimble half of the country into voting for.

And folks on both sides of the fence, Election Day was two months ago! Take off your stickers! If you are trying to make a statement, then get a sticker that conveys that statement. It's kind of like wearing a flower corsage way after it has died and needs to be trashed.

On other topics, I was sick as a dog earlier this week and was out of work for two days. It came on fast and strong while I was sleeping Monday night; I woke up with an aweful fever, aches, fatigue, dizzyness, and stuffiness. Even though I worked yesterday, I'm finally feeling over it today. The thing that sucks is that since I didn't have any leave time built up, I have to work both holidays this week to make up for it (or have two days pay docked). It's the only fair thing to do, but it just seems, well, mean!

This weekend I'll buy some plants for my office and deliver my pictures/office supplies box to my office. I hope to also look at a couple more places to live. If the building manager for Cory's building will call me back, I'd also like to look at that one, too. The sooner I get something nailed down, the sooner that I will start to feel at home here.

Happy New Year From ... Where Am I Again?

Oh yeah, some copy store with web access on Market Street in San Francisco's Castro District. Gay ground zero.

You know, if I wasn't following my career, I'd be looking west, probably to San Francisco. I certainly love it here. So many cool stores, great neighborhoods, diverse eats (including good Mexican!), interesting people, liberal politics. The whole city would be a catalyst for creativity for me. I've realized as I get older that although I am certainly myself no matter where I go, I'm most definitely fueled by my environment (setting as well as people). Something about this city (and New York, frankly) seem to awaken my senses and make me feel like I'm truly living.

So why don't I pick up and move here? I've got this nagging sense of responsibility instilled in me by my wonderful white-bread, 50s sitcom parents. I used to curse myself for not being a wilder child, not taking risks. As I've matured, though, I realize how fortunate I am to have not fucked up my life by throwing too much caution to the wind and doing harder drugs, taking off for reckless irresponsible trips, dying my hair an odd color, etc. Some people may view this as pathetic and boring; however, I'm in better shape than a lot of people who are approaching 28 years old. I own a house (well, 1/3oth of a house), don't have a ton of debt, a high-profile and upwardly-mobile career, and some solid, loving people in my life. Yeah, I'm not pulling down six figures yet, but most of those people my age are either overworked attorneys, overworked financial people, or overworked computer professionals. I wouldn't want to do that kind of work anyway.

I'm excited about my new adventure in DC. It's kind of cool to be able to go into a new city fresh, where no one knows you. You have the option of re-inventing yourself. You can re-engineer your social life with all of the accumulated knowledge and experiences that someone of my age has. Like I said, I'm always going to be myself, but different environments effect me in different ways. I hope to develop a somewhat sophisticated set of friends with a larger network of acquaintences. I'd love to go on group trips to the beach, skiing (yes, I have to learn how to ski), etc. I'd also like to get serious about running and compete in a 10k and/or half marathon in the short-term. Continue with politics, community service. Get to know some movers & shakers. I'm one of those types who wouldn't mind seeing himself on Page Six of the New York Post or in Washingtonian magazine.

Well, I have to wrap up b/c the store is closing. More to come once I'm back in Atlanta (or DC)!