Coming back to visit brings nostalgic feelings, as one would expect. While Vienna and the surrounding area are constantly changing (What's with all the gigantic houses on Park Street?), it's still the same old, same old as well. Amphora, Vienna Inn, Anita's... they're all still there. I'm also still glad I left.
One thing that was totally new to me this time around was the family situation. Suddenly "staying at my girlfriend's parents' place" turned into "visiting the in-laws". The logistics of the visit hasn't changed, per se, but the familial connection is now different. I'm still getting used to the idea.
All in all it was a nice visit. I didn't accomplish everything on my list, but I got to run the Turkey Trot 5k and eat some chili dogs, so I'll consider it a success. I also got to arrange a rare meeting with my friend the blanktop chronicler, who I thought was either dead or sober. Both thoughts are horrifying.
Oh yeah, did I mention UVA sucks? Go Hokies!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Attention Northern Virginians
I will be in town for 4 days, and 4 days only. These are the things I'm looking forward to doing:
-Going to at least one party. Bonus if that party has flipcup, quarters or beer pong.
-Playing some cash poker.
-Watching the VT/UVA game with some Hokies.
-Eating some chili dogs at the Vienna Inn.
-Running the Turkey Trot 5k.
-NOT going to TGI Friday's in the toilet bowl building.
If you think you can help me out with any of these things, give me a ring or e-mail here.
See you soon!
-Going to at least one party. Bonus if that party has flipcup, quarters or beer pong.
-Playing some cash poker.
-Watching the VT/UVA game with some Hokies.
-Eating some chili dogs at the Vienna Inn.
-Running the Turkey Trot 5k.
-NOT going to TGI Friday's in the toilet bowl building.
If you think you can help me out with any of these things, give me a ring or e-mail here.
See you soon!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
"Home is where the heart is."
If the above statement is true... then I am currently a transient.
Since graduating from college, I've changed my physical address five different times. I haven't lived anywhere longer than a year since my junior year of college, and if you count college dorms and apartments, then I have lived EIGHTEEN different places during my 26 year long life. Granted, eight of those residences can be attributed to college and summer transitions, but the fact still remains that that is a hell of a lot of places!
Now that the holiday season is upon us, I am once again forced to confront the fact that I don't have a place to call home. In the past six years since my mother passed away, I have spent Christmas Day in five different places. Maine, Scotland, Ottawa, Falls Church, and Warsaw. I haven't decorated a tree or strung up lights in forever.
My father has moved away from Northern Virginia, and I now have even less of a bind to the last real place I could call home. Ewa's family is there, my high school and college friends often end up there on holidays, but I can't use the term "going home" anymore.
Now that I'm married and "settling down", I'd really like to establish where my "heart" is... and maybe Phoenix is that place. I'd be lying if I said that doesn't weird me out. We're here at least until I finish getting my MS and Ewa establishes her teaching career, so we might as well start growing some roots.
That being said, where will we be on December 25th, 2007?
Purto Vallarta, Mexico.
Maybe next year then.
Since graduating from college, I've changed my physical address five different times. I haven't lived anywhere longer than a year since my junior year of college, and if you count college dorms and apartments, then I have lived EIGHTEEN different places during my 26 year long life. Granted, eight of those residences can be attributed to college and summer transitions, but the fact still remains that that is a hell of a lot of places!
Now that the holiday season is upon us, I am once again forced to confront the fact that I don't have a place to call home. In the past six years since my mother passed away, I have spent Christmas Day in five different places. Maine, Scotland, Ottawa, Falls Church, and Warsaw. I haven't decorated a tree or strung up lights in forever.
My father has moved away from Northern Virginia, and I now have even less of a bind to the last real place I could call home. Ewa's family is there, my high school and college friends often end up there on holidays, but I can't use the term "going home" anymore.
Now that I'm married and "settling down", I'd really like to establish where my "heart" is... and maybe Phoenix is that place. I'd be lying if I said that doesn't weird me out. We're here at least until I finish getting my MS and Ewa establishes her teaching career, so we might as well start growing some roots.
That being said, where will we be on December 25th, 2007?
Purto Vallarta, Mexico.
Maybe next year then.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
I just kept on runnin'...
Well, this past weekend marked my first attempt at an organized running event.
Sunday morning, Ewa and I headed out to Tempe for the New Times 10k event. Although not ready to run the 10k run, we were registered for the 5k event. It was a tough run, but I think we put up a good showing. Ewa managed 18th out of 36 women in her age bracket (20-24), making her exactly average. I pulled off a 14th out of 31 men in my age bracket (25-29), making me just slightly better than mediocre. Hooray for us.
We're both really satisfied with our results. I don't think an average of an 8 minute mile is too bad for a first time runner. We've been running about 3-4 times a week now, adding a half a mile each week. Right now we're at 3 mile runs. Unfortunately, this isn't going to prepare us in time for the 13.1 mile half-marathon so we've got to bump it up a notch.
So, from here on out we will continue running 3 times a week with adding the 0.5 miles each week. However, we'll also begin running an "endurance run" every Sunday adding a mile each time. This means 4 miles this weekend, 5 miles the next, etc. This should bring us up to speed by mid January, as long as we don't kill ourselves in the meantime.
Wish us luck!
Sunday morning, Ewa and I headed out to Tempe for the New Times 10k event. Although not ready to run the 10k run, we were registered for the 5k event. It was a tough run, but I think we put up a good showing. Ewa managed 18th out of 36 women in her age bracket (20-24), making her exactly average. I pulled off a 14th out of 31 men in my age bracket (25-29), making me just slightly better than mediocre. Hooray for us.
We're both really satisfied with our results. I don't think an average of an 8 minute mile is too bad for a first time runner. We've been running about 3-4 times a week now, adding a half a mile each week. Right now we're at 3 mile runs. Unfortunately, this isn't going to prepare us in time for the 13.1 mile half-marathon so we've got to bump it up a notch.
So, from here on out we will continue running 3 times a week with adding the 0.5 miles each week. However, we'll also begin running an "endurance run" every Sunday adding a mile each time. This means 4 miles this weekend, 5 miles the next, etc. This should bring us up to speed by mid January, as long as we don't kill ourselves in the meantime.
Wish us luck!
Friday, October 26, 2007
"The mummy is drunk, and he likes to $%^&!"
It just ocurred to me that this weekend is in fact Halloween weekend. I'm sure many of you will be going to costume parties. I know I will, once I get my outfit together. Unfortunately, the days are gone when I could just pull a ski mask over my head and call myself a terrorist. That's just not PC nowadays. I'm sure whatever I pick will be infinately better than Neil's costume.
Either way, when you are at a halloween party there is a good chance you will be subjected to the classic party tune "Monster Mash". Everyone knows this song, and almost everyone over the age of 8 is sick of it. Did you know however, that there is a whole history of Monster Party songs?
Let Dr. Retarded get you up to speed.
On another note: By now, I'm sure everyone know's that Dumbledore is gay. Does this seem relevant to anyone? I mean, for someone who doesn't really have much of a sexual presence in the book (thank God!), wouldn't his orientation be a moot point?
Now, Hagrid is a different story... He'd be quite the bear.
Either way, when you are at a halloween party there is a good chance you will be subjected to the classic party tune "Monster Mash". Everyone knows this song, and almost everyone over the age of 8 is sick of it. Did you know however, that there is a whole history of Monster Party songs?
Let Dr. Retarded get you up to speed.
On another note: By now, I'm sure everyone know's that Dumbledore is gay. Does this seem relevant to anyone? I mean, for someone who doesn't really have much of a sexual presence in the book (thank God!), wouldn't his orientation be a moot point?
Now, Hagrid is a different story... He'd be quite the bear.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Things never happen just how you expect them to...
How did/do you expect to meet the love of your life? As a guy, I didn't waste a lot of time on this. You know, "que sera, sera". But, I do know for a fact that women spend a lot of time thinking about this.
If you'll believe Hollywood, it could happen anywhere... Maybe at your parent's Greek restaurant. How about on a nationally syndicated radio show? Even a down-on-her-luck whore can get hired by a compassionate businessman. Maybe a 19th century duke just time travelled to the present to fall in love with you. You never know, right?
I've come to realize recently though, through a completely un-scientific survey of my engaged or married friends, that there is one single tie that binds... Alcohol. Every single couple, except for one, has met at a party or a bar, while under the influence. The one excepted couple met when they both worked at the same bar... Overachievers.
Maybe we all drink too much... but the fact that good old fashioned social lubricant is responsible for so many happy, usually sober, long-term relationships has to stand for something.
If you are part of one of these happy couples, I suggest you take some time to remember it this weekend... While you are out drinking, of course. Try to remember what exactly you were drinking at the time you both met, and order a couple up for you and your significant other.
To those who just got married, and those who just got engaged: Welcome to the club!
Take that, eHarmony!
If you'll believe Hollywood, it could happen anywhere... Maybe at your parent's Greek restaurant. How about on a nationally syndicated radio show? Even a down-on-her-luck whore can get hired by a compassionate businessman. Maybe a 19th century duke just time travelled to the present to fall in love with you. You never know, right?
I've come to realize recently though, through a completely un-scientific survey of my engaged or married friends, that there is one single tie that binds... Alcohol. Every single couple, except for one, has met at a party or a bar, while under the influence. The one excepted couple met when they both worked at the same bar... Overachievers.
Maybe we all drink too much... but the fact that good old fashioned social lubricant is responsible for so many happy, usually sober, long-term relationships has to stand for something.
If you are part of one of these happy couples, I suggest you take some time to remember it this weekend... While you are out drinking, of course. Try to remember what exactly you were drinking at the time you both met, and order a couple up for you and your significant other.
To those who just got married, and those who just got engaged: Welcome to the club!
Take that, eHarmony!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Recap: Unexplained Absence
Been missin' a while, sorry. Since we last spoke, I've been to a friend's wedding in South Carolina (highlight: plantation houses, southern food, "grrrr!", etc.), watched the Diamondbacks lose their Mojo (highlight: my wife actually being interested in a sport) and spent a little too much time working downtown in the middle of the night (highlight: riding shotgun in a speeding truck with a uniformed member of Phoenix's finest, while watching Harold & Kumar on the onboard video and debating the merits of White Castle v. Krystal Burger).
Well, I'm back and ready to get back to informing people.
Life in Phoenix has done nothing but improve since my last post. The weather has cooled down significantly, we've made some friends, and I haven't missed a single Heroes episode since I first complained about the time zone. It does seem to be getting a bit windy though, and I wonder if that portends an impending dust storm. I hope so. I think that would be kind of cool.
My sweet Kochanie ("Ko-han-yea") and I have begun training for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon here in Phoenix. This will be quite the daunting task, since my current running fitness puts me at a max of about 3.5 miles. That's pretty far from 13.1 miles I need to be able to run by then, but we plan to warm up by running the Run for Innocence 5k in November and the Trot for Tots 10k in December. Anyone whos' interested in running any of these events with us is welcome to come on out here, we can put a few people up at our place. I know we already have a few takers for the half-marathon.
Anyway, I have to get to work. Stay tuned this week for some new Phoenix observations, as well as a link to my new Flickr site.
Well, I'm back and ready to get back to informing people.
Life in Phoenix has done nothing but improve since my last post. The weather has cooled down significantly, we've made some friends, and I haven't missed a single Heroes episode since I first complained about the time zone. It does seem to be getting a bit windy though, and I wonder if that portends an impending dust storm. I hope so. I think that would be kind of cool.
My sweet Kochanie ("Ko-han-yea") and I have begun training for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon here in Phoenix. This will be quite the daunting task, since my current running fitness puts me at a max of about 3.5 miles. That's pretty far from 13.1 miles I need to be able to run by then, but we plan to warm up by running the Run for Innocence 5k in November and the Trot for Tots 10k in December. Anyone whos' interested in running any of these events with us is welcome to come on out here, we can put a few people up at our place. I know we already have a few takers for the half-marathon.
Anyway, I have to get to work. Stay tuned this week for some new Phoenix observations, as well as a link to my new Flickr site.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
