When The Smoke Clears

I promised I'd do something exciting over the weekend and write about it yesterday. I actually had work to do yesterday, though, which was nice. As for this past weekend....nothing really exciting happened. I went shopping for warm-weather work clothes. Shopping is always fun. I guess the best thing from the weekend was going to the restaurant where my brother/roommate works. It's actually a microbrewery. Good microbrew there. The food was quite tasty, too. And the people my bro work's with call him Tex. :)

So, if my weekend was not that exciting, why did I title this blog with shouts of partying, you might ask? Well, that is because my friend Patricia will be moving up here in about a month. She is one of those people that can talk to anyone at any time. I don't have that gift. I'm jealous! She was up here the last few days looking for an apartment. She crashed on my couch. After walking around the area she wanted to live in - my neighborhood, ironically - she found an apartment that she liked. And here's the surprise, people....it's 3 doors down from mine! Yep! Big P and I will be living in the same building, on the same floor, just a few steps away from each other!

So, for those of you to whom I've offered my couch should you desire a weekend away from the grind, you now have two reasons to visit. If you haven't partied with Patricia, you are missing out! We went to our local Irish pub last night for dinner and a little R&D on the joint, and we had a blast. There was live Irish music, and we were the only ones shouting and clapping along most of the time. So we've got some work to do with the regulars there. But we're already in with the one Irish bloke (as he put it) who works there. Patricia's full-on Irish, and people think I must be with a name like "Molly". Good stuff!

I have no idea what to name this post. I will think of something by the time I've finished writing. Basically, I'm bored. Not beat-your-head-against-a-brick-wall bored, but I have nothing to do at work. Why does it sound like I'm complaining, you might ask? Because I guess I am complaining. Don't get me wrong....after a year of having nothing to get up for in the morning, it's nice to have a purpose. It's nice to wake up, put on some spiffy outfit that is way cuter than what I wore to my last job, and head out into the world with the rest of the important-looking people. But when I get to my office, I have nothing to do. I know it's because I'm new and the office is new; and I know that once I get a better handle on some of the projects we have....and once we get more projects....I'll be much busier. I'll probably even miss these days of idleness. But until then, it kinda sucks.

The only work-related thing I had to do yesterday was to submit my timesheet for the last two weeks. Really. That's all. I couldn't even think of other things to make up and do. So I did some crossword puzzles, some other online games, and left a little early. Oh....for those of you who don't know, I'm the only person in this new office, so there's not even anyone to talk to. So I'd like to thank my sister and a few other friends for e-mail chatting with me a lot to keep me company. Love you guys!

Alright....I promised some people that I'd actually write some more interesting things on this here blog, seeing as how I'm in a new city with a world of opportunities and adventures to write about. And I will get to those. I tell you what....I'll do something crazy-fun this weekend and write all about it. That'll give me something to do on Monday morning. :)

As of midnight tonight, my dear friend, Kailee, will be welcomed back into the human race. She is an accountant, and has seen a lot more of her office than her own apartment over the last many weeks. But it's all over now, Kailee! I am going out with her, her roommate and fellow-accountant, Jenny, and a group of their friends tomorrow night to celebrate and throw a few back. Well, I'll throw one or two back, and buy Kailee and Jenny one or two. I must say that moving has taken it's toll on many aspects of my life - new town, new apartment, new job, need new friends, new wardrobe, dieing bank account, dead savings account, thriving credit card bills. This shit is expensive! So for my military friends who are contemplating getting out of the service within the next year, start saving now. Trust me, you'll need it and want it. New clothes b/c you won't be wearing a uniform every day is a big chunk in and of itself. So...I digress from the original message of this posting, which is to give a big shout out to Kailee. And a big shout out to all you other accountants out there in the world! Thank you for your service, but we've missed you!

Ok...I promised the thumb story a few days ago, so here goes. As those of you who know me know, I had my first seizure on March 11, 2004. As this is a day that will forever live in infamy in my life, I feel I should celebrate/mourn it every year. So around came March 11, 2005. A Friday. My parents had been here the entire week visiting, and that Friday night was their last in town. It was also the first day that my friend, Mary Beth, became a civilian. So three reasons to celebrate. And, for those of you who know me, you know that means to go out and have a few drinks. I had already announced to my parents that I was getting drunk that night. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. So instead of drinking beer, as I usually do, I went straight for the dirty martinis. The evening started around 6:30-ish? Dinner time, where we ate and drank with Mary Beth.

We ended up spending the rest of the evening at an Irish pub in Virginia Beach named Keagan's. Throughout that week and the ones prior, this place had become a favorite of mine. It was close to home, had good food, good beer, good people, good entertainment....the works. And we had been there enough that we (Becca and myself, along with Mama and Papa that week) knew most of the bartenders by then, at least by name. And the musician that night - James. Around 10:30-ish that night, Becca and I were sitting at the bar, backs to the bar, facing the stage so we could sing along to the Irish tunes. Mind you, I had consumed several dirty martinis by this point, but they had been spaced out. This fact, combined with my kick-ass tolerance (love you, liver), meant that at this particular point in time, I had just crossed over the bridge from Buzzed Town to Drunkville. I twisted around on my bar stool to get my glass off of the bar for a sip. The bar stool decided to twist/jerk with me, and somehow managed to flip out from under me. Truly, it had nothing to do with my alcohol intake. Becca, these two people sitting next to me that I'd been talking to, and the bartender, Drew, will all attest to that. I didn't even make it all the way around to my glass. In the natural-human-jerk-reaction, my hands went down behind me to catch myself. I ended up landing on my fists. My right thumb hurt like hell and swelled up rather quickly. Nothing that a lot more dirty martinis and some ice couldn't handle that night. Again, those of you who know me know that if I had just drunkenly fallen off of the stool, I'd say as much. It was very bizarre.

But by Saturday evening, I was starting to worry that I had broken the tip of my right thumb. It was still swollen, black and blue, and tingled to the touch. I could also almost bend it in this very unnatural way. So I went to sick call on base on Monday morning, they did an x-ray, and it turned out that I was right - I had broken my thumb horizontally all the way across my thumb around my nail bed. So it is now April 14th, and I still have this stupid splint on my thumb. And it will probably still be on for a few more weeks. It was a pretty big break. And I think I set myself back a few days by overdoing it when I moved. I wasn't supposed to lift anything, but that just wasn't feasible.

So that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. And the moral of the story? If you are ever sitting on a stool, and you'd like to pick up something that's behind you, stand up, turn around, grab it, turn back around, and sit back down. Any questions?

Well, it's started. The rest of my life, that is. Actually, I guess it's just the next phase in my life. I officially separated from the Navy on April 1st. I officially moved from Virginia Beach, VA, to Alexandria, VA, on April 5th. I officially started my new job at Maxim Systems on April 11th. Welcome back to the human race, Molly! I'm going to have to have a nice chat with my alarm clock and let it know that it's gonna have to go back to work now. :)

So far, everything is great. The apartment Colin and I moved in to is fantastic! Lots of room, coffee in the lobby every morning, dry cleaning pick-up, and a roof-top pool. I can't wait for summer to hit! And my job started smoothly today. I'm the only one in my office for now, so it might get a little lonely; but I've got a big window next to me that allows me to watch everyone walking by. I have full control of the coffee pot, too. :)

So that's where I am now. I know I haven't posted anything in a long time...not since March 11th. I think I'll put in a follow-up blog to that one tomorrow. Funny story involving my thumb. But I'm no longer doing the same thing every day (watching TV), so I'll have things to write about now. Life in a new city...isn't it exciting?!