It's Hard to Swim in a City This Shallow

Well, I'm in LA.

And it's great. The whole trip so far has gone like clockwork, with nary a snag. My flights were bang on time, my luggage came up quickly, Jeff was waiting for me outside security, there was no traffic...it's been great.

I'm having a blast. I worked so much last week, and this summer in general, that I barely know what to do with myself here while Kate is at work. It's like, free time? While the sun is out? I'm not sure how that works anymore. But it's great. Last night she and I had cocktails with one of her friends, then wandered around chatting before going back to her house to relax with wine, TV and more chatting. Lots to catch up on, after all. It's so good to see her...I'm really happy we're having this chance to catch up, to just hang out like we used to. And her new place is really cute, near all sorts of cool stuff.

Today I woke up at 8, since I went to bed at 10:30, lounged around, then took a walk for about an hour until I got too hot and came back to Kate's. Turns out LA isn't as ugly as they say, or at least not the parts I've seen...it's kind of charming, actually. Anyhow, 45 minutes of Project Runway later, Jeff swung by and grabbed me for lunch with Kate, Matt, Kate's work friend and Matt's roommate. We went to a really cute little cafe, and although the wait was long, the food when it arrived was both plentiful and delicious. Yumminess.

Tonight Kate and I are going hiking and out for frozen yogurt, and tomorrow is Jeff's show. It's such a nice vacation. I like it here a lot...I'm not sure if I was just starved for a city or what, but it's a good place to be, it was a good choice. I don't miss Madison at all (not yet anyhow) and wish I could stay longer. But then, it's only my first full day.

How I love new places and old friends.

Working Girl

So my huge week of working is finally over. Whew. By last night I was completely burned out, clocking out at midnight when I clearly could have doubled my money by staying later. But I just didn't have it in me. I was exhausted. Not that I went home, of course; I might have if I could have played pool when I got off, but all the tables were full so I stayed until close and played with Rebecca for awhile. I played really well my first game, which made me feel all cool until I had another shot and immediately started being terrible again. Oh well.

It was a dramatic night at the restaurant, complete with belligerent drunks, asshole dudes and inter-staff quarrels. There were two bachelor parties, one coming from and one heading to Visions, the local (and shitty) strip club. There were drunk groomsmen from the wedding next door. There were some asshats from Lord knows where who refused to leave when we closed because it was 2:25 and not 2:30. There were numerous *really* over-the-top comments made to Rebecca and myself. In retrospect, maybe it's best I clocked out when I did. I'm not easily riled, but I was close to stabbing someone in the face by the time I left. And that's not even touching the dude who thought he was the shit because he's an unassigned agent for Homeland Security. Dude, don't wave your government job in my face. You have no idea how unimpressed I am.

On the plus side, all that simmering rage last night and the general running around this week have had their pros: I have officially lost all the weight I gained last fall. Who knows if it will last once the stress of reading (and decyphering) "The Ring and the Book" and others of its ilk kicks in, but despite having given up running a few weeks ago out of laziness and sleep-deprivation, I've kicked the last of the ten pounds that were graduate school's final insult-to-injury. Thank you, weight training and service jobs.

So over the past few days, people have been writing ideas for "politically-themed" cocktails on the dry erase board in the kitchen, and when I came in last night there were so many good ones I had to transcribe the list. Some of them are pretty good in my opinion. There's talk of doing a menu of them around election time, which I think would be a pretty good gimmick. Any other ideas to add? Here's the best of them:

-Monica Lewinsky-Coke
- Black and Ann Coulter
- Dick Champagney
- Osama Bin Lager
- Ross Merlot
- Jager-Obama
- Baracktail
- Newt Gin-grich
- Hilary Clin and Tonic
- Fuzzy Nader
- Pale Ale Gore
- Mitt Julep
- Rumney and Coke
- Arrogant Bushtard
- Huckabeefeater
- Al Frankenskaaner

and my personal favorite....

- Condoquila Sun Rice

I enjoy my job.

Summer Skin

So aside from a few upsetting dreams and the appalling state of my apartment, life is pretty good. I'm making bank this week (rightfully so, since I'm working close to 70 hours), the weather is cooling off a bit, I bought a new bikini that I love, and I'm going to see Batman tonight.

And I am taking a vacation in 6 days.

I haven't had a real vacation since Thanksgiving, and I feel like I need this one almost as much if not more than I needed that one. I've been working very hard, but more than that, I'm just getting a little to close to life here, and I need a break. Sure, this isn't the wisest financial choice I've ever made. But I worked my ass off this summer, and so I'm pleased I could do this. And I mean, there are four letters that sum up the reason LA was the best choice, and they are KATE.

On the downside, Jamie and Tom have been entirely MIA for weeks now, which is kind of tough. It's sad that they feel farther away when they are geographically closer, but these are the perils of having cool friends who live overseas.

As I listen to Deathcab in my room, I'm really wishing I hadn't left my iPod at work for Joe. Grrrr. Oh well. Maybe I can steal the brother's, although his taste is not mine, to say the least.

This trip is well-timed. When I return, it will be time to get down to brass tacks concerning school. I'm hoping to finish at least one novel while I'm gone, and another before classes begin. I still need to tell Heather my new availability for work and hash all that out (not something I'm excited for), and plot out all the various dates for school. I need to move. I need to ask people at work if they can help me move my bed, since it won't fit in my car. I need to apply for a loan (sadly...too many G&Ts this summer). I need to talk to Con. I need to call Becca S. And Adam. And the other Adam.

But you know...so what? I can handle that stuff. After this trip summer begins to close, but I had a *wonderful* summer. There was no one thing that characterized it, but I've learned a lot about...lots of things, I started playing pool, I got some (if not all) of my shit together, I lived with Ben...good stuff.

Hopefully it's not an "other shoe" kind of situation.

Coming Up From Behind

Great song.

Right now, I'm drinking a glass of cheap white wine, about to finish getting ready and go over to work to practice some shots. I woke up very late, around 12:45, and walked to the gym, where I had a brief but satisfying workout. (The assisted pullup machine is finally back, so I worked the hell out of my back and triceps. Tomorrow will be interesting.) On the way there I stopped in Ragstock and tried a few shirts on but didn't buy anything. On the way back I talked to my mom on the phone for a long time. Here at home I ate some leftovers from yesterday's MadFusion lunch, chatted with Keith and relaxed. I contemplated the park, but decided against it due to wind factor, and will probably go tomorrow. Last night I waited on a big group of friends from school (I love that I have multiple kinds of friends now!), made reasonable money in the pool room and had a really good time messing around with people after work, both there and at Mark's place. I called a few people. I wrote down a lot of thoughts. I walked myself home at dawn.

I am so, so much happier than I was 8 weeks ago. And of all my summer goals, that was the most important one, even if I didn't word it quite that way in my head. Though time is passing far too quickly, I am beginning to relish the thought of going back to school, of rewriting my current routine to put back in those other things that make me feel like myself - the books, the mental gymnastics needed to understand most theory, the poorly-lit linoleum jungle of HCW.

And I love pool. And I'm going to LA. And Kitten's home. Right now I not only believe that the world is beautiful, but maybe even that my life is too. (Mostly, anyone...if you leave my apartment out of it.)

A-Bars and LA

I had a big longer entry in progress about this weekend and all the A-bars and hilarity it contained, but really, it comes down to several small points:

- I went out WAY too much this week and spent too much, but it was really fun.

- Rebecca from work is awesome. The organic growth of our friendship seems promising. Going out for her birthday (twice!) was really fun, and it's nice to branch out like that.

- Work is slow, but it's going well regardless.

- My brother is great.

- I know learning Latin is useful and all, but I have begun bearing a grudge against this dead language for stealing all Marshelle's summer hours. Stupid Latin.

- I'm 95% sure I'm going to LA at month's end. Buying tickets today or tomorrow. Sun, ocean, superficiality and Kate Tatem. A winning combo.

Now it's time to clean the kitchen and go running. Happy weekend, all.

My Yankee Doodle Joy

I realized in the shower today that, along with Christmas and New Year's, the 4th of July is one of the only days of the year where I can effortlessly remember what I was doing each year, stretching back at least half a decade if not longer. Having been in DC for college, the 4th becomes kind of a New Year's Eve on steroids, where everyone you know or knew congregates in the District to drink and scramble around on the roof watching fireworks and celebrating the fact that we were all lucky enough to spend those golden years somewhere so cool. So the years I *missed* this extravaganza are just as clear if not more so as the ones I was there.

Exactly a year ago today I was in DC with Justin. I think we saw a movie during the day (Crank?), then went over to the Garfield House, of all places, to celebrate with the young 'uns and (in my case at least) have frightening flashbacks of such undergrad events as the Two Articles party and the first time I ever saw Con. The year before that I was in Bedford for Becca's wedding, which was a very different kind of wonderful, and the year before that was another DC year, another party at the Urban Oasis (are they still calling it that?). I remember Kevin loaning me his car, driving back to the house on Massachusetts with the windows down and the fireworks popping outside. The year before that I was with Jeff, and we were supremely lazy, lounging around Adam's place and doing almost nothing out of the ordinary.

Today I'm going to a BBQ and then to Thom's party for an hour or so, then working til close. I'm not too broken up about working, really...I'm pretty certain I'm taking a trip at the end of the month, so the money is welcome. Plus, it won't kill me not to drink tonight (or much, anyhow). I've been drinking too much and not sleeping nearly enough, so I plan to celebrate the 4th with some school friends and some cash in hand. And the Madison weather is gorgeous.

But I'm missing DC. When the sun sets and the parties start up...I know I'll be thinking about NW and Justin and the feeling of being with the people I knew for those years. It's almost enough to make me wish I'd never left.

Almost.

On Waking at the Wrong Cross St at 7:36AM

I have got to tweak my summer lifestyle. Just a bit.