Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

One of the big reasons I’m behind on life is because I flew back home last week to attend my sister’s engagement ceremony. For those non-Vietnamese out there it’s a tradition that involves lots of praying, food, and bowing. Check out Wikipedia and this very informative article explaining some of the customs.

So I flew back home and spent the weekend with my family. It’s as stressful as it seems. I did have a chance to catch up with a few of my favorites back home- but it was all family last weekend.

My lil' bro started sporting some pretty hipster glasses. At least he's looking less emo than usual

My sister Diana

Mike and the procession

Nobody knew when to start, chaos ensues

The march into the house

Like I said, lots of bowing

The reception at Jin in Saugus, MA

The Family

Perfect way to end the night- there was a male strip show happening in the other hall

I’ve been to a few ceremonies so I knew what was going down, however I was surprised how crazy the preparations were leading up to it- I guess it is bigger than the wedding sometimes. The guest list was also very interesting, my mom even invited the family dentist to come and watch. Again it must of been a big deal.

It was also so weird to hear my Dad, who never speaks ever, address an entire crowd of people in a language he barely knows.

All in all it was a great weekend with family, and while I thought I was off the hook- I was told I might have to do the same thing when I get married.

Maybe it’s a good thing I’m single and lonely after all.

Tags: asians, blog, family, massachusetts, travel, weddings

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s the new midlife crisis.

It’s become hip and cool to joke about the “quarterlife crisis.” The “oh shit” moment when you realize you aren’t in college any more; the fear and uncertainty that have fueled many applications to grad school; the little things that make you realize that you are no longer 21- and that maybe those four years may have been the best of your life.

When I turned 25 back in December I joked to my friends that I was looking forward to the crisis- it would be the biggest crisis  in my life since that time I had to decided who to start in my fantasy football league. The quarterlife crisis is a joke you can see on anyone’s Facebook wall when he/she turns 25.

After reading a thought provoking post over at Live It, Love It, I took a hot minute to take a quick inventory of signs that I am fully embracing my period of uncertainty of the future.

Recently I’ve found joy and pleasure with my return to theatre- an interest and hobby I’ve left dormant since I left high school and college. In fact part of the reason I enjoy the work is because it harks back to fond memories of working on the stage back home. It’s not a red sports car but could it be that I’m living vicariously through stage management?

When I wrote about actually enjoying conversation with my long lost relatives, a generation that is now married and having kids, am I quickly maturing my taste of nightlife?

Long gone are the days of heavy drinking and partying from Thursday – Sunday. I’m now on the “every other day” rule when it comes to how my body will enjoy wild Clarendon nights.

Last year I saw friends become engaged, friends unite in holy matrimony, and me still left without a girlfriend. Is my clock ticking as result of the new social landscape I find myself in?

Why am I asking so many questions without answering them? The attempt to build suspense is mediocre at best.

What I loved about Lilu’s post was the concept of having a foot in both camps. It is definitely the feeling I have as I ponder these thoughts.

The more popular Midlife Crisis is defined as, “A period of psychological doubt and anxiety that some people experience in middle age.” So is the Quarterlife crisis the same period but at an earlier stage of life?

It makes sense to think that, you are fresh out of college and all of a sudden you have a full-time job or struggling to look for work while the structured life you once lived is no longer there. You find yourself wondering, “what do I really want to do?” It’s no longer a question for the yearbook- you are now out there trying to make it come true. You may have doubts that you know where you want to go, or if you will really be able to realize the idyllic visions you had lying on the grass of the quad. All of a sudden the world looks harder to change than it did sitting in a classroom.

So is that what the Quarterlife crisis is to me? Not really.

It’s a transitional phase where you are still a kid in a grown up world. You may have a 9-5 job but you still play hard on the weekends. You may start having more happy-hours and dinner nights with your friends, but you are still tailgating at concerts and tearing up bar crawls downtown. You may have fond memories of living in a dorm but you are more than happy to be paying rent in house where there’s no RA to stop you from lighting candles and drinking beer.

You may no longer have awkward stories about your roommate walking in on you having sex- but now (if you are lucky) you no longer have awkward stories about your roommate walking in on you having sex.

And hopefully sex isn’t that awkward anymore.

It’s a time where you have a chance to look at the landscape and realize maybe you don’t want to do what you studied in college- but now you know what you want and you will be a happier person for finding it.

The quarterlife crisis maybe a period of doubt, but it doesn’t mean that you are hopeless. To me it’s just another transition and even though we may be afraid of change, it’s the spice of life that keeps things interesting.

I look back at the first quarter of my life and I have my moments I’ll never forget, but I’ll never think they were the best times of my life. The best times of my life are ahead of me and they are right now.

And for me, that’s how I’m doing splits in the grown up world.

Tags: blog, family, favorites, feelings/reflections, friends, quarterlife crisis, rants, theatre, weddings

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I was reading Katie’s Happy Humpday post over at Can I Say… and it got me thinking about dances… wedding dances.

For those that stalk me enough know that when I go to a Wedding I’m always taking what I like about that wedding and start forming my own dream wedding. I know I sound like a girl but I’ve been to enough weddings where I enjoy seeing what choices a couple makes when they celebrate their nuptials. Do they have a big wedding? A small wedding? Stupid center pieces? Cocktail hour? Open bar?

Well any who when it comes to the first dance I’m always interested in if they go traditional or if they put a little funk into it. My cousin Mai had a really impressive dance that showed off her skills. A couple of years ago I saw this Good Morning America piece that revealed a trend in more creative wedding dances.

So here’s my idea: when I get married I don’t want a boring intro of a DJ reading names over U2 or Fat Boy Slim- I think it would be cool to instead show a video of my wedding party doing the final dance number in Slumdog Millionaire:

Wouldn’t that be cool? Then right when the video ends or something it leads into a live dance number. Maybe an Evolution of Dance type number. Maybe it’ll be a highly choreographed dance number with break-dancers. I was also thinking about something really classy- like the Tango from True Lies. A Thriller wedding dance? Eh it’s been done.

I’m so far away from being married that chances are there will be some new dance that’s even more popular than the Superman Wedding Dance.

What do you think? Am I crazy? I think it’d be a hell of a wedding reception…

Tags: a r rahman, blog, fat boy slim, favorites, slumdog millionaire, true lies, u2, weddings

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I started 2008 with a lot of drinks, a whole lot of kisses, and  some frustration. The second half of 2008 sped by me as I work kept me busy and stressed. The travel, the weekends on the job, the extra hours in the office all made it hard to realize that it’s already 2009. But it is and I am lucky to now have a chance to rest, relax, and reflect on what exactly just occurred.

One thing that I’m proud of in 2008 was the changes I’ve made to this blog. Patrick told me a couple of weeks ago that I’ve been blogging, “before it was called blogging.” I have had a website where I write my thoughts since high school but this was the year that I really think I got the whole thing down.

Besides bringing the technology of the site into the new millennium, I also took a look at my writing style and really tried to find a format that makes sense for me and hopefully makes my writing more interesting to read for you. I credit the changes from the increased exposure I had to other blogs. Looking back 2008 was the year I really learned what blogging was all about even though I’ve been doing it since the mid 90s.

There’s also one more change that I’m kinda happy about:

I don’t like bringing a lot of attention to it cause I don’t want to be really obnoxious about it. I also think I have a long ways to go before I’m totally hot- but I’m getting there. Weird that I actually think that I might be good looking- well at least more good looking than I usually think I am. In 2008 I lost 20 lbs and maybe if I’m lucky I won’t gain it all back. This is the only time I’m going to mention my weight publicly- I already get embarrassed enough when coworkers bring it up. However after these holidays I’m going to have to redouble my efforts.

The end of 2008 also found me in different surroundings. While I still live in Arlington, I moved out of Cleveland Street onto Highland street. While it wasn’t a big move, I am absolutely in love with the new house I love in it’s great living with Sarah and Caroline. I am really happy here and I think a my new digs will play a big role in 2009.

School

I’ve spent this past year doing some thinking about where I want to go next with school. I definitely want to go to Grad School, I want the additional experience, knowledge, and credentials that an additional degree brings. This year I started looking at different schools and programs. At first I was looking at film & video programs but I realized that while I’d love to get another degree in that area- I already have a deep background there and I wanted to learn something different. I have decided that I want to learn more about PR/Communications so I can continue to expand my role at work.

My goal this year is work on applying and getting into a program for Fall 2009, it will be an interesting year to start up school again.

Work

Last year I wanted to make an impact at work for 2008 and that certainly has happened. This year I have stepped up into a bigger role in the company. I’ve taken on more responsibilities and I have seen a huge increase in work especially towards the second half of the year. During this past summer and fall I got involved in regular trips between Washington DC and Boston where I have been involved in a lot of different projects in both locals. While the work this year resulted long work hours, days, and weeks; it was nice to find myself back home a few extra times this year.

I don’t know what 2009 will bring but this break has given me a chance to rest and reflect and I’m ready to take on the beast again for another year. This year I hope to not lose a step and continue to make the impact I’ve been making in 2008.

Friends

2008 was a great year with my friends. Work has been different without Chanelle and I certainly miss the Chanelle-ness she brought to the job. Work has also a bit more intense for everyone which has led to less lunch hours with Krissy and Mallory. However Pho lunches with Krissy, Gloria, and Kristen need to continue in 2009. However Ryan and Neal and I were able to get together for poker this year and a goal this year is to host some Poker nights at my new place. Looks like I’ll be losing lots of money this year. It’s another goal to have

Without Chanelle there’s certainly been a different dynamic in the office with Peter and Dave- my office is definitely now a gentleman’s club. Talk about sports, and female cable personalities fills our day and I love every minute of it. It’s also been great to have Peter around to help me root for our local sports teams.

As always I had some great times with my MoCo favorites (Sarah, Falkor, Doug, Katie, Emily), while they live a bit further now we managed to still get together for some nights out on the town, sporting events, and Thanksgiving football game I’ll never forget thanks to Falkor. Katie and I have shared many conversations- unfortunately most of them revolved around cougars and her boss. All of us (and Stephanie) have shared many awesome trips, including numerous rampant nights in Baltimore. 2009 will be different with Sarah and Falkor leaving for Africa- thank goodness they will be coming back for the OBX!

I had some great times with Rebecca, Adam, and company. Whether it was a July 4th bar crawl, a night out at Local 16, or even a night of Monopoly, I always have a great time with them. They have also become close confidants to a lot of life’s situations.

In 2008 LJ and I enjoyed numerous Red Sox games while pulling me into ridiculous fantasy football leagues. Adam made sure both of us were actively involved with the Obama campaign whenever possible.

I’m always able to laugh when I’m with Wendi and I’m happy we’ve been able to catch each other when we do.  I have to admit I haven’t gotten to spend a whole lot of time with Ian but hopefully we’ll be able to catch up soon.

Back home in Massachusetts I’ve had plenty of chances to keep up with Dave, and Bill thanks to my business trips. 2008 also saw me reconnecting with Jimmy Clancy and his new wife. I continue to keep in touch with Patrick even though he’s always in a different state every time we catch up. 2008 was also the year Sean moved back to Massachusetts form Florida, and now the crew was complete this year. Good times were had with Sean, Mike, and Joe- including my first game at Fenway Park and a crazy night on Emily’s birthday.

I now expect two things to happen every year during the holidays: an annual reunion of Me, Phil, and Tessa; and an annual gossip lunch with OC.

I also got to reconnect with a whole group of DMB friends this year, Alyssa, Kristen, and Michele. Now that Alyssa and Michele live in Boston, they are two more names I’ll have to add to the “must see” list when I go back home.

Friends like Carolyn and Laura moving away while others like Michael Anthony Gregorio move in. DC is a transient region so I treasure all the moments I get to spend with all of my friends.

Family

I started getting weird e-mails this fall. They were from various colleges and universities trying to get my to apply to their schools for an undergraduate degree. When I saw that the e-mails were addressed to Daniel, I realized someone has mistaken my e-mail for his and I got spammed. It’s weird to think that my little brother is almost ready to go to college.

While that’s going my sister Kim is making waves at FSC, finishing a summer in Europe and getting ready for Junior year. Man I’m starting to feel old. Meanwhile Diana is continuing to impress me with all the great books that are being pumped out at her publishing house. Her and Mike also got engaged in 2008.

2009 has lots to look forward to with my family, my favorite cousin Christina is turning 21 and will continue to rip up UMass and this month I get to catch up with my favorite Aunt.

Love

I went out with Rebecca this past weekend and she told me that she never knew a time that I wasn’t seeing someone. That is such a weird statement. But then again my game has never been as good as it’s been. 2008 was by far the busiest year when it comes to women, and I’m glad to say that I was able to keep crazy FSC bitches out of them… well for the most part…it’s funny how some women just never go away. It’s also funny how things can pick up just where they left off after some time.

I also randomly hooked up with some girl from New Jersey. Always awesome to do the walk of shame from L’enfant Plaza.

This summer I dated a number of interesting women. Two were summer flings, the kind that come into town and before you know it they are gone just as fast as they came. One was a Senior over at Harvard- could she be the smartest person I’ve ever dated? She’s probably not as smart as the Carnegie Mellon grad that’s now working as a programming at Microsoft. She was a student of Randy Pausch, a great man who I (and many others) learned about this year and was sad to see him pass on. Miss Seattle also led me to another girl whom I dated a couple of times but wasn’t anything special, she did laugh at all my jokes however.

I briefly dated one of Sarah’s co-workers and while she was really fun and has introduced me to everything Eastern Market has to offer, I could see she was never going to be available the way I wanted it to be.

Nobody is going to let me live down Sean’s wedding. It’s going to be a memory for me right up there with Minneapolis. At least I still talk to both girls.

Also let’s never forget about that teacher from Walpole. I’ve never felt so honored in my life. Maybe I should just spent the rest of my days as Cougar bait.

The day before Halloween I met Carrie and so far she wins the record for girl I’ve dated the most. Then again it’s a pretty easy record to set. She’s been very good to me these past few months.

As always I have no love goals for 2009- I will continue to play everything out just like I always do.

Travel & Special Events

2008 has to be the year of the weddings. I went to a lot of them.

The first one was Jimmy Clancy’s and it was a trip down high school memory lane. The ceremony was at St. Mary’s where I spent my days as a Boy Scout and ended at Andover Country Club where we had our senior banquet.

After that it was Rebecca and Adam’s wedding and I have to say that it was by far one of the craziest weddings I’ve been to. Anytime I get a knock on the door the next day from a half dressed Paul Depoian means that it was a good time.

Melanie and Jim’s wedding was the most artsy, they had a really interesting arrangement at the altar. While I was only 1 of 2 FSC representatives there I still managed to have a good time with all of their friends.

I lucked into Sean and Amanda’s wedding and I definitely made the most of it. That’s all I gotta say.

2009 will bring probably only 1 wedding but I’m going to need a break after this past year of weddings.

2008 saw another great trip to the OBX- right now I’m working on the videos for them and hopefully get them out before our next trip in May. It was great having a record 30 people come down. What probably made 2008 was the Jenga and the flag stealing. While 2009 will see a crowd not that high, it will still be great times.

Once again I also made a trip out to Hershey, PA to Hershey Park. This time we also got to celebrate Falkor’s birthday in a local bar across the street from the hotel. I’ve never seen a bar tab that high til that night.

I also made 2 Obama related road trips this year: one to Philadelphia and another to Roanoke. I’m really happy with the work and travel I put into the campaign and I hope that in the future I will continue to become active election campaigns.

There were some DMB trips made this year, the first one was to SPAC where I got visit Diana along the way. The other was at Nissan Pavilion where I went to LeRoi Moore’s last show.

I finally found some time to take the trip into Pittsburgh, I visited Melanie and Jim and experienced a little bit of what the Steel City has to offer. I was surprised at the how short the trip was and it’s definitely not out of the question for a repeat trip in 2009.

I certainly traveled a whole lot in 2008. I hope to do some more in 2009. Is this the year for the Cruise? Is this the year for Canada? Maybe it’s finally time for me to visit the West Coast- who knows where I’m traveling in 2009, but I will probably figure it out for this summer.

Hobbies

Last year I wrote about finding a new hobby besides fantasy sports. Well I have to say that I’ve taken blogging into a new level that it’s become a serious pastime of mine. In 2008 I became a contributor to DC Metblogs and it has kept me busy. This winter I was also given the opportunity to get back into a long lost passion- theatre. In early 2009 I will be working on a production with the Arlington Players and I hope that 2009 will see more headway into a possible comeback into theatre.

Are there other crazy activities I might get into? I’d want to make a goal but I can see that 2009 maybe busy enough.

In Conclusion

2008 was a crazy busy year for me on many fronts. While I have been busy with many things I’ve seen myself change in many ways. All along the way I’ve still been rely on the support and encouragement of all my friends and family.

I hope 2009 will be a year that helps define my future here in Washington DC. I hope that this year I figure out my school situation and that I continue to explore new and old passions and hobbies.

I also hope to that I can look to a summer of fun travels, starting with the OBX and ending with who knows what.

But the biggest resolution I want to make is to have a good time and to make others happy- because isn’t that all we want in life?

Tags: baltimore, barack obama, blog, boston, debauchery, election 2008, family, favorites, feelings/reflections, friends, fun times with friends, grad school, hershey park, l'enfant plaza, new york, nissan pavillion, obx, philadelphia, poker, randy pausch, roanoke, u-street, umass, washington dc, webpage, weddings, work, year in review

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I love buzzwords.

In a staff meeting last week I picked up a new one. In a staff meeting last week we discussed the economy and watched a Charlie Rose interview of Warren Buffet. He talks candidly on the economy and the current economic crisis. The meeting inspired me to watch a 60 Minutes segment that came highly recommended. It was there that I learned a the funny phrase that I will attempt to drop in my future conversations: Credit Default Swap.

I love it because it sounds really complicated but it’s really simple. I encourage everyone that wants to know what it means or that wants an easy, simple explanation of why we are in a credit crisis to watch the 60 minutes segment:

Ok now on to what I’ve been up to…

While most people work for the weekends, I have been working before, on, and after the weekends. It’s really hard to remember Melanie and Jim’s wedding last weekend after I attended Sean and Amanda’s wedding this weekend. It’s going to be hard to remember all the fun I’ve had while I’ve had to work so much in between this little breaks. I feel like I’m sprinting through life as all these wonderful moments are quickly in my rear view mirror as I rush through another week.

I actually tried to fit in some life between these traveling weekends, on Thursday I checked out The State Theatre out in Falls Church with Hillary. The live music was fun and the in house bar was even more fun. The venue preserves the feel of the its filmhouse past and I have to say it looks like a fun place to take in a show.

I took the day off to run errands and do some shopping before my big travel weekend. I got a call from Rebecca and Adam and was quickly diverted to U-Street for some fun conversation and drinks. I got a chance to experiment with some new drink ideas with some friends. It was a good thing since I wanted to be prepared for Sean and Amanda’s wedding that weekend.

The wedding was a rush. I flew in the night before and next thing I knew, I was y driving to pick up Shannon, go to the hotel, and then to the restaurant where the ceremony/reception was taking place. The wedding was great- my first inter-faith ceremony but the second one where everyone yells, “Mazel-Tov!” Craig yelled it a bit more often than needed that night.

It was so much fun to see a whole bunch of my college friends enjoying themselves. Amongst the group, there were three engaged couples and one that was already married. I can’t believe everyone we are all growing up so fast. Well maybe they are- I seem to still be stuck. The open bar led for lots of group shots, new drink opportunities and lots of debauchery. I won’t go into too much detail here about the rest of the night but if anyone traveled with me to Minneapolis knows what I’m like when I have my A-game.

Trust me, I had my A-game.

I’ll ya though after all the fun and games of the past few months I feel like after another work travel weekend this week it’s time for a break. I know Halloween is around the corner but I am hoping work cools down and I’ll have a chance to catch my breath, really savor some quality time with friends, and recharge the batteries I’ve been stealing energy from.

Tags: 60 minutes, blog, debauchery, falls church, fun times with friends, girls, massachusetts, minneapolis, stress, u-street, warren buffet, weddings, work

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Another October, another costume

Always wondering of what to do for Halloween. With the Red Sox in World Series I was Daisuke Matsuzaka last year. It was interesting walking around Georgetown last year. While I expected some people to recognize me as Dice-K, a whole lot more people identified me as the more obscure Hideki Okajima.

In the past I’ve played to my strengths for costumes. Last year I threw on some sheets and walked around as a Buddhist monk. Senior year at FSC I was a ninja. What will I be this year?

Right now I’m thinking about dressing up as one of the Crazy 88s from Kill Bill. I always look good in a suit.

October is also about post season baseball and the Red Sox are in the playoffs. I watched Game 2 of the ALDS with Dave and Mark over at Jimmy and Christine’s new apartment. It was a great game to watch and I haven’t had that much fun watching baseball in a long time. We all now have a new dance move thanks to Erick Aybar:

We call it the Aybar.

Saturday I went to Melanie and Jim’s wedding in Worcester. It was a really small affair- besides Mel’s college roommate I was the soul representative of Melanie’s college years. The ceremony took place in Mechanics Hall, which was just beautiful. Oddly enough this was the second wedding where there was an after party in the Bridal Suite. You would think Melanie and Jim had other things they wanted to do that night. I loss a bet that they wouldn’t get to that but I guess they did.

Well one more wedding to go this year and it’s shaping up to be one of the best yet.

Tags: blog, daisuke matsuzaka, hideki okajima, holidays, kill bill, red sox, weddings, worcester

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

This is probably the story I’ll be telling my friends for the next week or two.

That’s what happens when you go on a weekend of destruction.

It’s been so destructive it’s taken me a week to recover and blog about it.

I didn’t plan on drinking for three straight nights but it was going happen as I woke up in my room in the Newton Marriott. I enjoyed the ability to sleep in after a week of sleeping very little. I also enjoyed the king size bed and the view from my window of the Charles River. My feet often stick out with the bed back home- but not with this monstrosity of a mattress. The rooms were amazing- particularity because each room on the ground floor had access to outer pavilion area that faced the Charles River. It was a great view. Not only could I see the River but the ceremony was taking place in this pavilion- my room was literally 15 ft from the seats. I could of just sat in my room, drawn open the windows, and spectated the wedding from my bed. Of course I decided to get dressed and actually show up for the wedding.

I enjoyed a great workout and I was back in my room when I decided to take a shower and start getting ready for the afternoon ceremony. I saw hotel staff and organizers assembling chairs and such so I figured I should get ready too. After my shower I step out into my room where I left my windows drawn open. I am immediately faced with the entire Wedding Party outside my window taking photos amongst the trees and greenery outside my room. Probably not a good time to see a naked Asian man in a towel. I ducked back into my bathroom and decided to shave- maybe by the time I was done they would move on.

After shaving I peek out my bathroom door and see Adam and the groomsmen drinking beers waiting for the Marrying to occur. Hmm this was going to be awesome. I decided to make this half leap onto my bed then hopped to the back wall- where I managed to draw the curtain before anyone noticed. Ok now time to get dressed.

The ceremony was fantastic. I was impressed by Adam’s and Rebecca’s musical choices. They marched down the aisle to Coldplay’s Clocks- which is such an appropriate song for the two fans of the band. During the ceremony my friend Paul (who’s known for crazy antics) leans over and tells me, “hey after Rebecca and Adam kiss we need to yell ‘Mazel Tov.’ I reply that today is not the day to be pulling shit like that. Crazy Paul- always trying to get into trouble. However after Rebecca and Adam kissed- the entire wedding party screamed “Mazel Tov!” I forgot Rebecca is a quarter Jewish. I guess Paul was right- even though if you know him it’s hard to believe anything he tells you to do.

The reception was interesting since Rebecca and I went to high school together then ended up living near each other down in the DC area. We have a lot of mutual friends from different parts of life- which made the cocktail hour interesting. After catching up with some old high school friends I’d turn around and say hi to the crew I went out with the weekend before. It felt like I was working the room really well. I was really happy to see Ms. Cochran- who was fresh from a recent Chad Addison video and was sporting blonde hair.

While it was great to hang out with lots of friends- the best part had to be open bar with lots of friends. Paul and I ended up cutting a rug. After the wedding is of course the afterparty. The entire ground floor was booked for the wedding so it felt like I was living in college once again. We all packed Rebecca’s suite and I once again played DJ while we kept the night going. Rebecca summed up the night pretty well, “flip cup at my wedding does seem rather appropriate…”

Paul didn’t have a room so I told him he could crash mine… of course I never see him at the end of the night. He did magically appear at my door the next morning. Obviously it was a great night.

Well two out of three weddings are in the books for this year- I don’t know if Melanie’s will top this one, in fact I don’t know if anybody’s will top this one. Well maybe my wedding- but we have a long time before that will happen.

Tags: blog, debauchery, fun times with friends, newton, weddings

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

This weekend John McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate this fall. I’m not going to talk about how unknown she is or how inexperienced she may be. What I want to say is that for a mom of five and a former runner up Miss Alaska- she is still kinda hot.

Oh ya there I said it- beauty doesn’t know political lines.

I’m not the only one that thinks so- Huffington Post has photos of her from her glam high school days and her photo shoot for Vouge (which has already spawned photoshopped covers.)

I also think it’s fortunate for the author who wrote one of the only biographies on her- he’s now raking in the cash.

All right enough politics.

Work has been busy as usual leading up to my trip this weekend- I seem to have mastered the art of sleeping for four hours a night.

Monday Wendi and I went to the White Sox/Orioles game and enjoyed yelling at Aubrey Huff and watching Ken Griffey Jr. We actually managed to arrive at the park before the game started and we walked around and got to take in the Yards for what it’s worth. We visited the bullpen and I saw some pitchers signing balls for the little kids- I thought it was such a nice thing to do right before a game. There were also these two kids who kept trying to run down to the dugout between innings to try and get a game ball- they were finally rewarded at the end of the game. A person who wasn’t rewarded was the fan who jumped onto of the dugout- then leaped over the dugout onto the field and raced across the diamond. He was promptly arrested when he made it to the other side.

Baseball never ends in my life, on Wednesday I went tothe Dodgers/Nationals game with LJ, Sarah, and Ryan. LJ and I enjoyed booing at Manny who went 2 for 5. His last hit occured when we was up in the 9th with 2 outs. It would of been great to see him end the game but alas Manny has to be Manny and he got on base- extended the game. The park gave an homage to Manny during that night’s President’s Race when Teddy wore a dew rag and dreads- then proceeded to give up halfway through the race.

After flying back on Thursday I went out for to Fanueil Hall with Adam and all the guys. We hopped all over the area and I have to say that Adam has a fun group of guys from the down under. Afterwards I met up with Alyssa and she absoltely impressed me with her hopsitality- she is such a mother hen.

Last night I met up with Bill and got to meet his new girl Megan. We got some Margaritia’s nearby to which I will say I am totally secure with that choice of drink.

Ok well I gotta get going and get ready for this wedding tonight. This weekend is clearly shaping up to be a weekend of distruction- let’s hope I survive it!

Tags: baltimore, blog, boston, debauchery, dodgers, election 2008, fanueil hall, fun times with friends, girls i think are hot, nationals, orioles, sarah palin, sleep, stress, weddings, white sox, work

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s a good thing I got that hotel room- I definitely needed it. But first let’s go to this week’s kickball game.

It was a forfeit victory for us this week- the other team didn’t have enough players to play, however we enjoyed a game anywho for fun. I managed a nice line drive in the scrimmage. the basement of Kelly’s Irish Times (aka Dungeon of Love or DoL) just led to more good times and a long night of being lost on the Metro thanks to Amber.

Krissy’s wedding was an entertaining night with friends, co-workers, and family (not my family but Krissy’s… more on that later.) I roomed with Ryan, a friend of Krissy who gave a reading at the ceremony (and yes it was the ever popular Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians’s.) I don’t know what it is about weddings- if you haven’t been married yet weddings just make you dream about what you want for your own wedding. Krissy had a nice outdoor ceremony that was simple and elegant.
The reception was a blur with some dancing, some drinking, and even some smoking. Chanelle was once again a dancing machine and Krissy got some interesting gifts, including a bike. We all lit sparklers as her and Mark left in their limo.

After Ryan and I got back to the hotel we got out of our fancy clothes and hit up the Wa-Wa next door to get some food and drinks. When we walked back into the hotel lobby I hear someone call out my name, it was Krissy’s mom. She invited Ryan and I up to her suite for an after party. It was definitely a random end of the night. Krissy’s mom thinks I’m a good dancer.
I think I’m going to be drinking water for the rest of the week. Time to enjoy some football (and some Madden 08 which I just opened up yesterday.)

Tags: blog, football, fun times with friends, kickball, madden, wa-wa, washington dc, wedding crashers, weddings

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I’ve been working a rather intense schedule. It all started on Thursday, I had to get up at 6 AM to help out at an event at the National Press Building, home of press contacts worldwide. If you were on 14th street in Washington DC- you would of seen the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors newest electric car. While I won’t spend the entire blog talking about the fact it runs 40 miles without gas, and has an estimated 150 MPG when going 60 miles, I want to concentrate on some of the reactions of this sweet looking car.

It was parked outside the building and it turned heads and stopped traffic. Cars slowed down to catch a peek of it- even Prius drivers couldn’t resist taking a look at the next best thing. It’s a really beautiful looking car, people were walking up to us asking how much for just the rims- a man even pulled out $2,000 cash on the spot for just the wheels.
On Friday I was with the car from 4 AM - 3 PM at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. It was really exciting to deal with more excited people and the press that came out to cover the car. What got even more attention was when the car was loaded back on the truck at the end of the day, to see an electric car actually come to life really excited the crowd. It looked a lot like the unload that happened the day before on 14th street.

Last night was another long day, I went out to film yet another wedding- this one for one of Chanelle’s friends. It was a relatively smooth day- just a long affair. After three days of long hours- I’m looking forward to a restful week- too bad it’s starting with another long day/night at Union Station for work tomorrow.

I did manage to have one highlight of fun amongst lots of work. On Wednesday I took Marjorie out to the Astros/Nationals game. It was her birthday and what couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate than behind the plate at RFK Stadium. It was certainly a great time, we had Diamond Club seats which gave us a great view and free food. A waitress even comes directly to your seat to deliver it- how cool is that? The Nats even won the game, something that definitely doesn’t happen very often.

Well I’m going to get ready to run some errands- some which include another stop into the office- work never ends!

Tags: baseball, blog, general motors, girls, national press building, nationals, rfk stadium, ronald reagan center, stress, washington dc, weddings, work

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Another wonderful weekend in DC. Friday I went out to Dupont with my favorite people. Lindsay invited me to celebrate the birthday of one of her NIH co-workers. As I am introducing myself to Jay, a Korean from Seattle, he tells me of his future plans for medical school and asks me where I am going to medical school. After telling him I’m not going to be a doctor he asks if I’m going to be a lawyer. After I told him what I do- he just looks at me in amazement. Ya I’m amazed I’m down here doing that too. I’m sure my Dad would of wanted me to be a lawyer at least.

It was a great night out on the town with the crew. We first hit up The Front Page, then over to The Big Hunt, and then Lucky Bar. I think Doug, Ben, and I were great after the end of that night. Moments I’ll have to remember: using Emily to check out some chick and Jay thinking I was the man for knowing the words to T.I.’s “What You Know.” I remember I ended up walking from Rosslyn back to my house- a walk I could only do if I had a few in me.

Saturday I woke up from whatever happened the night before and I decided to look up the lyrics to “What You Know”, and I found it to have a lot of slang terms i didn’t really know. Thanks to the Urban Dictionary, educated myself on the meaning of the lyrics- and was shocked to learn what those words really meant. But at least I can say I know all about that, and after going on YouTube, I found out I know some Math too.

Last night I went to Mallory’s wedding. It’s pretty much the first wedding of any of my friends, it was a really pretty affair, everyone looked beautiful and it was a nice cozy, simple affair. The reception was also nice, the food was excellent and the dancing was pretty good too. I have to say that Chanelle is a dancing machine, nay she is a dancing force.

After a long long drive back to Arlington, I saw that there was some time left to head over to Ragtime to celebrate Chandra’s birthday. I enjoyed some friendly drinks, conversation, and Golden Tee with some of my awesome co-workers.

Today I spent a lot of the day cleaning the grill in my backyard. It’s almost ready for the summer, just need to find a place to buy some lava rocks.

I can’t wait for the summer.

Tags: clarendon, dupont circle, fun times with friends, golden tee, rosslyn, t.i., uncategorized, urban dictionary, weddings, what you know

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I know too many people who are engaged or pregnant.

Tags: blog, weddings