M.I.A.

Wow. Talk about a busy few weeks. Not only did I go over two weeks without getting a new quote of the day up, but I failed on last week's 10 Things to Think About on a Friday, and missed the week before as well. But I can't say it hasn't been worth it, because while I've been letting the blog fall into a state of minor disrepair, it was all so I could get everything in my actual life settled into place again. Now, I'm back, and it will undoubtedly be with a vengeance...let me catch y'all up.

Most of you will already know that about four months ago I was told that I was going to find a new job. After looking at a ton of possibilities, some good, some not so good, I came to the realization that while I had been very comfortable in my job, I hadn't been happy for quite some time. Some of this was due to the money, but most of it had to do with working for a boss that was an absolute maniac. (No folks, I'm not talking about my step-dad!) She was rude, short, stressful and was referred to around the office as "Scary." Basically, she made it her job to make my life unpleasant everyday in any minor way she could think of.

I then decided that after looking around, I didn't particularly want to stay in Real Estate, at least not the way it was going. Things were stressful there as I wasn't sure what else I was going to do, and time was getting shorter. Then, on April 29th, the day before my last day at the old job, I found a new one. I took some time off, got situated, and started in here on the 11th, and after only one week I can say definitively so far so good. The job I've gotten is a temporary position as the Executive Assistant to a HR rep out in the East Bay. Long relaxed in a five minute drive as a "commute," I've been pleasantly enjoying my morning commute to Pleasanton. I'm finding it a bit harder to get up that early in the morning, but once I'm moving, it's all energy. I love people watching on BART, seeing those coming on and getting off as I ride the length of the line, and the extra dedicated reading time everyday has been positively uplifting. Something about being among the mass commuters, feeling the train breathing around me brings me a sense of joy and modernity. On the way home, I read and nap. Incredibly enjoyable.

But the stress wasn't over quite yet. As I started the job, I had to stare down the barrell of a standardized test, a 5 hour affair that was to test my competency in English. So while I started work, I withdrew socially to study. Of course, the job and the studying were continually broken up by track, which was winding down in the season and rapidly approaching league finals. On Thursday, we had league finals and my team repeated as League Champions. When we won last year with 6 teams in the league, we didn't figure we'd have a real solid chance at a repeat this year as the league went to 13 teams, but we managed to pull out a crazy win by 3 points. As our JV team won the first JV Championship for the league, we are unanimous girl's champions. Then, Saturday, I took the exam, and now I feel like I once again have some space and time to breathe, relax and get back to getting my online affairs in order.

So be on the look out...I've got some new interviews, a few book reviews, and lots of new music coming up. This weekend, after I finished the exam, I went straight to Topher's place where I promptly started drinking. I wasn't sure if I was celebrating how I did on the test, or just how I felt about being done, but when he and I started taking tequila shots, ChengJ, Foster and Paulo just kind of moved out of the way. On their way to City, we decide to stop in and have a drink with E who's working his door job at the Silver Cloud. Of course, Topher, who lives in the Marina, tells me he knows exactly where we're going. We then proceed to walk 5 blocks in the opposite direction. Thinking that we may be going the wrong way, I call E who informs me that it was actually one block from where we originally started.

We get over there and I order some drinks from the bartender. When I tell her that E wants to put it on his tab, she gives me a very unpleasant look (because she knows that it pretty much means "free.") I try to win her over with a 7 dollar tip, but I don't think she cares. Topher, who at this point is a bit loopy, sips a bit of his drink before I have to finish it for him. I finish most of mine before we decide it's time to move on to meet back up with the rest of the folks at City. I think E is confused when we leave so quickly, but then again, we weren't really planning on a 30 minute hunt for the bar when we set out.

Back at City, ChengJ is talking about the bar with a few women. I feel like I might get sucked in to the conversation, decide to avoid it at all costs and jump out the window to smoke. Feeling much relieved, I head back inside where the women ask me if I'm "ok." I'm a bit confused...sure, I'm ok, why would they think I wasn't? "Well, you didn't talk before." My response to this is, "just because I chose not to talk doesn't mean I was unable." They think I'm being rude and go back to talking to Cheng. I head over to a table where Topher and I compare notes and realize that even having only had one drink a piece at each of the bars, we are completely and utterly trashed. We hang onto the table like it's a life vest that might save us from drowning.

After leaving, we head up the street and avoid the pizza line in favor of the hot dog stand. I'm told that I absolutely must have a lemon chicken hot dog, which, I'm pretty sure may have saved my life and helped me avoid a wicked hangover. I wake up in my clothes on Topher's couch, the bun of the hot dog still in my hand. We compare more notes on the balcony and realize that when a) you don't pay for any drinks in the bars, b) you don't throw up, c) you're plastered, d) you get home ok and e) you have a nice post-midnight snack, the night has to be categorized as a major success. We head over back to City with Sonia where I take advantage of the free mimosa with brunch before heading back to the Peninsula. It's about 100 degrees out and a soda sounds refreshing, so I stop in at Nini's for a few rounds. I'm wrapping things up when Dawson, Johnson and @pdxblazersftw show up to have lunch.

After I leave Nini's I make a housecall to see the moms who are hanging out at the pool. Don Po hooks up some home made guacamole and we have a few beers which makes it quite an enjoyable day in the shade. After getting home and hanging out for a bit, it's unbearably hot in my apartment so I take a stroll to get some Cold Stone ice cream...cake batter with kit kat bars and graham cracker pie crust. And that, my friends, pretty much gets you all up to speed. I look forward to getting back into the daily routine of quotes of the day, the weekly things to think about on a Friday, and all the random crazy fun I like to share. Should be good times to come this summer! As someone might say to Kotter, Welcome Back!