A month of firsts
It's been a pretty exciting few weeks. Sorry for the dearth of updates, but just settling in has taken nearly all my energy. Sorry I couldn't make it to Homecoming, but things have been too insane - hope to see you all soon!
Booz Allen paid for a U-Haul as part of my relocation budget. While this was incredibly sweet of them, they didn't pay for a driver. Therefore, I had to drive a U-Haul at night from Albany all the way to DC. While I missed the traffic, I hit more patches of fog, rain, and bad radio reception than I care to think about. It took ten hours to get there - I stumbled into the hotel, barely slept, then wandered up to my apartment and unloaded.
I had contracted with a company to move me in, but they weren't supposed to arrive until later in the afternoon. I had expected to slowly move stuff up the stairs, then bring the furniture in at the end. This was not to be. Since the ramp leading to the loading dock was ridiculously steep, I had to get my landlord, the concierge, and the maintenance man to help me get the truck in. The maintenance man and concierge then offered to help me get my things up, "for a price." I was exhausted and decided that this was no time to save money. An hour later and eighty dollars poorer, I had all of my things in my room and began unpacking. By the end of the afternoon, I was mostly unpacked and organized, and still had some energy such that I could enjoy dinner with the parents. Best $80 I've spent lately.
Right before I left for DC, my grandfather developed a bad sinus infection. The infection threw him far enough off balance that he fell down, hitting the ironing board as he collapsed. One of his hearing aids was destroyed in the process, and he hurt his ear and the side of his face as well. Much though I was terrified of developing a sinus infection in time for my first day of work, I had to see him before I went. I just don't know how much longer he'll be with us, and it scares me every day. I need to call him more, maybe plan a time each week to just chat.
Many of you probably remember my cousin, Jason,'s debacle with his broken arm and nerve damage. Well, things are much improved. While his humerus now has the shape of a fork tine rather than being straight, it's finally healing. Better yet, his nerve damage has almost completely reversed - he has full function in his hand again, but can't get his fingers to stretch out fully. While perhaps not ideal, his situation is far better than we feared it might ever be again. I'm immensely thankful right now.
Mom and Dad are dealing with empty nesting pretty strangely. I expected that it would be hard on them, but their reaction has been really intense. The last few nights that I was at home, they just kept recounting stories about how I was the baby when they built our house and how I walked between the studs before the walls were being framed. It was almost as though they realized that we had grown up, and somehow it really shocked them.
The other reaction has been that Mom and Dad are now somewhat harder on each other. I think that for a long time, a certain amount of frustration could easily be attributed to the "damned kids." Now, there are no "damned kids" to deflect annoyance onto. Instead, they're getting increasingly willing to criticize each other. While I'm happy to see an increased flow of communication, I just hope that they're ready to deal with the situation and move beyond it, rather than letting bad habits stand between them. I'll monitor as I can, but I'll have a hard time defusing disaster from 400 miles away.
Meanwhile, David's having a really hard freshman fall in some ways. He had two roommates to start in a room designed for two rather than three people. One of said roommates was a terrible douche, and David has had to switch rooms. The kid was terribly messy, said derogatory things about David and the other roommate, and damaged one of David's surround sound speakers. I'm very glad that they got David out of there.
Now, David has a better roommate, but has been awfully sick. He had pneumonia last week, and they gave him a pile of antibiotics. This week, he has some kind of skin infection in a very unpleasant place, probably caused by wearing damp clothes. I really feel for the kid, but he's going to have to learn this on his own. I'm offering the best advice that I can, but I can't fix it all for him. Ultimately, that's probably a good thing. Sighs. I keep taking him to dinner, and we talk almost every day, but I don't think I can save him from learning things the hard way - it just has to happen.
My building is called the Fedora - it's right near Meridian Hill Park. The builders chose to name it the "Fedora" after the last owner of a famous hotel that used to stand on this site back in the day. Apparently, a lot of yesteryear great African American performers played here, including the amazing Ella Fitzgerald. Finding that out just tickled me pink!
I'm living in an end unit penthouse overlooking a courtyard with a fountain. I have my own private bathroom and share a gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances. There's also a TV with every channel imaginable and a washer/dryer in the unit. I park my car in a dry, safe, mostly empty underground parking garage. I think I'm paying fair rent for it, but the rent's a bit ambitious on my salary. Hence, I'm trying to find clever ways to cut costs in other places. I might also try to pick up a couple of little jobs or other money-making ventures to bring in a bit more money. If that doesn't work, well, I've only signed a 6 month lease, so I can move out at the end and go someplace a little less expensive, possibly outside of DC (which charges me $400 per year more for DC income tax versus Virginia income tax). I just hope that I can make it work, because I love living here. Gotta get my thinking cap on and find a way.
Booz Allen is pretty awesome. I expected as much, but it's been remarkably good at living up to expectations. As this is something I'm really not used to, it's been pretty fun. No one cares if you need to take part of a morning for a doctor's appointment, everyone's friendly and relatively helpful, and there are lots of cool things to do at work, not to mention so much free food that I rarely ever pack a lunch or bother to eat a large breakfast.
While there are a lot of great things about work, one of the things that will require the most adjustment is the mandate that we constantly wear suits. I showed up my first day of work in a suit, fully expecting to be hopelessly overdressed. Turns out I was "dressed just right" and held up as the model for how we ought to look as Booz Allen consultants. Just a tad awkward, since I only owned two suits. At the end of this week, I bought two new ones (got great deals at Saks Off 5th and the Ralph Lauren outlet, but now I need to get a tailor to finish the magic). I also got a gorgeous rust and sky blue Valentino tie, as Off 5th had a promotional deal that made the $80 tie cost me $25 since I bought it with a suit. I almost bought a Versace tie, but it was somewhat poorly made and wouldn't have held up as well as the Valentino one that I chose. So pretty! It's the sort of frivolous thing that I love, though I'll very rarely let myself spend for them unless I'm flush and I can get it for cheap. But honestly, it'd be hard to get a comparable used tie through e-Bay for that price when you factor in shipping.
So, being gay in DC is actually pretty awesome. There are lots of men jogging, running, or otherwise moving in various states of undress almost all the time, and plenty of them are gay! :) I don't even have to feel awkward about thinking they're hot.
There are also a lot of gay-centric events. Gay porn star Brent Everett performed at a gay club two Fridays ago (and my ex's ex shot a video with him - AWKWARD!), there are several gay newspapers, and a stack of gay clubs to boot. I'm trying to get used to the fact that there are scantily clad posters selling to gay guys much the way there have always been scantily clad women all over everything. I nearly caused an accident the other day when I saw a poster of a spreadeagled attractive boy selling 2(x)ist underwear . . . yeah, not so good. But I'm sure I'll adjust fast.
Not sure if I want a boyfriend or not. I get the feeling that Tim and Lou really don't want me bringing guys back here, and that's fine. I'm not sure if I'm really ready for anything anyhow. A few guys have been messaging me, and I might give them a shot - we'll see. I'm just hesitant to start any drama now while I'm still adjusting into so many other changes.
Nothing beats sitting in Dupont Circle in October, watching shirtless hunks jog by coated in sweat from the 90 degree heat. That alone makes DC so worth it. ;)
I feel things are even more social here than they were at Dartmouth! I'm constantly meeting new people, even casual acquaintances are happy referring you to their barber or their tailor or anything like that, and everyone seems to want to meet everyone. It's a little overwhelming, but refreshing after Albany, where it was hard to even strike up a conversation.
The first thought that comes to mind when someone says, "I'm having dinner with my ex-gf and her parents," is definitely AWKWARD. However, having dinner with Cesca and her parents was actually really nice. We had a really wonderful spread of Mediterranean food, a light red Tuscan wine whose name I forget, and a great conversation. The Brunos are a lot easier to talk to now that the whole table is filled with adults rather than being Cesca and I as "the kids" and them as "the adults." I really hope that Cesca gets into the CUA library science program she's going for, as it'd be great to have her down here!
So, like in any month, there have been random acts of YouTube. Here are a few highlights:
Brains parody of Shoes:
New J.Lo video, "Doing It Well" - bigger fan of the song than the video:
And Tunak Tunak Tun!
As this entry could potentially get about ten times longer with all the things that have gone on, I'm going to just list:
1. first time a female friend adversely reacted to the news that I was gay
2. first time I blew a tire
3. first time I found my own tailor
4. first fashion show
5. first time meeting a CEO of a fashion company
6. first time that Dartmouth people didn't seem obsessed with which house you were in (yay alumni status!)
7. first time in a gay bar with go-go boys *drool*
8. first time work has ever actively encouraged me to drink
9. first time I've ever had gay friends who were just friends - something nice about the lack of sexual tension.
10. first time seeing the Dalai Lama, Nancy Pelosi, Richard Gere up close and semi-personal
11. first time hearing Bush speak live (mixed reviews)
12. first credit card with a substantial limit (making me very scared about overusing it, which is probably a very good reaction!)
13. first Ren Faire with friends from outside my family (lots of fun!)
14. first time that my uptight military school buddies and I all got trashed together.
15. first time I've felt like I'm in a position to really help other people in a dollars and cents way.
16. first time I've contemplated getting an IT masters degree while working full time before my MBA
17. first time I've been mistaken for being in the press (and gotten lots of undue attention) for essentially carrying a leather portfolio and diligently taking notes at events. Thank you, Prof. Winograd! :)
18. first time that looking older than I am and wearing a suit got people to pay attention and give me what I wanted faster than I would have otherwise gotten it.
This journal entry has taken several weeks to write since I've been so busy and actually legitimately TIRED. I'm developing a real sleep pattern - this is unprecedented!
Booz Allen paid for a U-Haul as part of my relocation budget. While this was incredibly sweet of them, they didn't pay for a driver. Therefore, I had to drive a U-Haul at night from Albany all the way to DC. While I missed the traffic, I hit more patches of fog, rain, and bad radio reception than I care to think about. It took ten hours to get there - I stumbled into the hotel, barely slept, then wandered up to my apartment and unloaded.
I had contracted with a company to move me in, but they weren't supposed to arrive until later in the afternoon. I had expected to slowly move stuff up the stairs, then bring the furniture in at the end. This was not to be. Since the ramp leading to the loading dock was ridiculously steep, I had to get my landlord, the concierge, and the maintenance man to help me get the truck in. The maintenance man and concierge then offered to help me get my things up, "for a price." I was exhausted and decided that this was no time to save money. An hour later and eighty dollars poorer, I had all of my things in my room and began unpacking. By the end of the afternoon, I was mostly unpacked and organized, and still had some energy such that I could enjoy dinner with the parents. Best $80 I've spent lately.
Right before I left for DC, my grandfather developed a bad sinus infection. The infection threw him far enough off balance that he fell down, hitting the ironing board as he collapsed. One of his hearing aids was destroyed in the process, and he hurt his ear and the side of his face as well. Much though I was terrified of developing a sinus infection in time for my first day of work, I had to see him before I went. I just don't know how much longer he'll be with us, and it scares me every day. I need to call him more, maybe plan a time each week to just chat.
Many of you probably remember my cousin, Jason,'s debacle with his broken arm and nerve damage. Well, things are much improved. While his humerus now has the shape of a fork tine rather than being straight, it's finally healing. Better yet, his nerve damage has almost completely reversed - he has full function in his hand again, but can't get his fingers to stretch out fully. While perhaps not ideal, his situation is far better than we feared it might ever be again. I'm immensely thankful right now.
Mom and Dad are dealing with empty nesting pretty strangely. I expected that it would be hard on them, but their reaction has been really intense. The last few nights that I was at home, they just kept recounting stories about how I was the baby when they built our house and how I walked between the studs before the walls were being framed. It was almost as though they realized that we had grown up, and somehow it really shocked them.
The other reaction has been that Mom and Dad are now somewhat harder on each other. I think that for a long time, a certain amount of frustration could easily be attributed to the "damned kids." Now, there are no "damned kids" to deflect annoyance onto. Instead, they're getting increasingly willing to criticize each other. While I'm happy to see an increased flow of communication, I just hope that they're ready to deal with the situation and move beyond it, rather than letting bad habits stand between them. I'll monitor as I can, but I'll have a hard time defusing disaster from 400 miles away.
Meanwhile, David's having a really hard freshman fall in some ways. He had two roommates to start in a room designed for two rather than three people. One of said roommates was a terrible douche, and David has had to switch rooms. The kid was terribly messy, said derogatory things about David and the other roommate, and damaged one of David's surround sound speakers. I'm very glad that they got David out of there.
Now, David has a better roommate, but has been awfully sick. He had pneumonia last week, and they gave him a pile of antibiotics. This week, he has some kind of skin infection in a very unpleasant place, probably caused by wearing damp clothes. I really feel for the kid, but he's going to have to learn this on his own. I'm offering the best advice that I can, but I can't fix it all for him. Ultimately, that's probably a good thing. Sighs. I keep taking him to dinner, and we talk almost every day, but I don't think I can save him from learning things the hard way - it just has to happen.
My building is called the Fedora - it's right near Meridian Hill Park. The builders chose to name it the "Fedora" after the last owner of a famous hotel that used to stand on this site back in the day. Apparently, a lot of yesteryear great African American performers played here, including the amazing Ella Fitzgerald. Finding that out just tickled me pink!
I'm living in an end unit penthouse overlooking a courtyard with a fountain. I have my own private bathroom and share a gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances. There's also a TV with every channel imaginable and a washer/dryer in the unit. I park my car in a dry, safe, mostly empty underground parking garage. I think I'm paying fair rent for it, but the rent's a bit ambitious on my salary. Hence, I'm trying to find clever ways to cut costs in other places. I might also try to pick up a couple of little jobs or other money-making ventures to bring in a bit more money. If that doesn't work, well, I've only signed a 6 month lease, so I can move out at the end and go someplace a little less expensive, possibly outside of DC (which charges me $400 per year more for DC income tax versus Virginia income tax). I just hope that I can make it work, because I love living here. Gotta get my thinking cap on and find a way.
Booz Allen is pretty awesome. I expected as much, but it's been remarkably good at living up to expectations. As this is something I'm really not used to, it's been pretty fun. No one cares if you need to take part of a morning for a doctor's appointment, everyone's friendly and relatively helpful, and there are lots of cool things to do at work, not to mention so much free food that I rarely ever pack a lunch or bother to eat a large breakfast.
While there are a lot of great things about work, one of the things that will require the most adjustment is the mandate that we constantly wear suits. I showed up my first day of work in a suit, fully expecting to be hopelessly overdressed. Turns out I was "dressed just right" and held up as the model for how we ought to look as Booz Allen consultants. Just a tad awkward, since I only owned two suits. At the end of this week, I bought two new ones (got great deals at Saks Off 5th and the Ralph Lauren outlet, but now I need to get a tailor to finish the magic). I also got a gorgeous rust and sky blue Valentino tie, as Off 5th had a promotional deal that made the $80 tie cost me $25 since I bought it with a suit. I almost bought a Versace tie, but it was somewhat poorly made and wouldn't have held up as well as the Valentino one that I chose. So pretty! It's the sort of frivolous thing that I love, though I'll very rarely let myself spend for them unless I'm flush and I can get it for cheap. But honestly, it'd be hard to get a comparable used tie through e-Bay for that price when you factor in shipping.
So, being gay in DC is actually pretty awesome. There are lots of men jogging, running, or otherwise moving in various states of undress almost all the time, and plenty of them are gay! :) I don't even have to feel awkward about thinking they're hot.
There are also a lot of gay-centric events. Gay porn star Brent Everett performed at a gay club two Fridays ago (and my ex's ex shot a video with him - AWKWARD!), there are several gay newspapers, and a stack of gay clubs to boot. I'm trying to get used to the fact that there are scantily clad posters selling to gay guys much the way there have always been scantily clad women all over everything. I nearly caused an accident the other day when I saw a poster of a spreadeagled attractive boy selling 2(x)ist underwear . . . yeah, not so good. But I'm sure I'll adjust fast.
Not sure if I want a boyfriend or not. I get the feeling that Tim and Lou really don't want me bringing guys back here, and that's fine. I'm not sure if I'm really ready for anything anyhow. A few guys have been messaging me, and I might give them a shot - we'll see. I'm just hesitant to start any drama now while I'm still adjusting into so many other changes.
Nothing beats sitting in Dupont Circle in October, watching shirtless hunks jog by coated in sweat from the 90 degree heat. That alone makes DC so worth it. ;)
I feel things are even more social here than they were at Dartmouth! I'm constantly meeting new people, even casual acquaintances are happy referring you to their barber or their tailor or anything like that, and everyone seems to want to meet everyone. It's a little overwhelming, but refreshing after Albany, where it was hard to even strike up a conversation.
The first thought that comes to mind when someone says, "I'm having dinner with my ex-gf and her parents," is definitely AWKWARD. However, having dinner with Cesca and her parents was actually really nice. We had a really wonderful spread of Mediterranean food, a light red Tuscan wine whose name I forget, and a great conversation. The Brunos are a lot easier to talk to now that the whole table is filled with adults rather than being Cesca and I as "the kids" and them as "the adults." I really hope that Cesca gets into the CUA library science program she's going for, as it'd be great to have her down here!
So, like in any month, there have been random acts of YouTube. Here are a few highlights:
Brains parody of Shoes:
Click to viewNew J.Lo video, "Doing It Well" - bigger fan of the song than the video:
And Tunak Tunak Tun!
As this entry could potentially get about ten times longer with all the things that have gone on, I'm going to just list:
1. first time a female friend adversely reacted to the news that I was gay
2. first time I blew a tire
3. first time I found my own tailor
4. first fashion show
5. first time meeting a CEO of a fashion company
6. first time that Dartmouth people didn't seem obsessed with which house you were in (yay alumni status!)
7. first time in a gay bar with go-go boys *drool*
8. first time work has ever actively encouraged me to drink
9. first time I've ever had gay friends who were just friends - something nice about the lack of sexual tension.
10. first time seeing the Dalai Lama, Nancy Pelosi, Richard Gere up close and semi-personal
11. first time hearing Bush speak live (mixed reviews)
12. first credit card with a substantial limit (making me very scared about overusing it, which is probably a very good reaction!)
13. first Ren Faire with friends from outside my family (lots of fun!)
14. first time that my uptight military school buddies and I all got trashed together.
15. first time I've felt like I'm in a position to really help other people in a dollars and cents way.
16. first time I've contemplated getting an IT masters degree while working full time before my MBA
17. first time I've been mistaken for being in the press (and gotten lots of undue attention) for essentially carrying a leather portfolio and diligently taking notes at events. Thank you, Prof. Winograd! :)
18. first time that looking older than I am and wearing a suit got people to pay attention and give me what I wanted faster than I would have otherwise gotten it.
This journal entry has taken several weeks to write since I've been so busy and actually legitimately TIRED. I'm developing a real sleep pattern - this is unprecedented!