Home.

It's day 6 of my vacation here in good ol' Bowie, MD.  I'm at the parents' house just waiting for everyone to get up.  I'm still on west coast time but it's already 9:00am here!!!  Gee -- don't people work around here? Oh wait -- they're retired.  LOL.  Anyway -- it was a whirlwind weekend with the ENTIRE family in town to celebrate my little neice's 2nd birthday.  It was also family portrait day this past Friday.  My baby brother and his new wife came down from Toronto to take part in all the "fun".  Believe it or not, I also survived an entire day at church this past Sunday!  Anyway -- it's time to hang out with all of my friends now until next Tuesday when I fly back to LA.  The only bummer is that none of my friends are responding to me.  Hmmph.  Oh well, time to mow the lawn.  WHAT?!?  Long story.....

Up, up and away.

I look thrilled, eh? Even my perennial eye bags had eye bags! I think I got a total hour and a half of sleep. The plane was full and since I was traveling on a space available pass (courtesy of one of my aunts), I was the last one cleared to go for the flight.  I really can't complain -- for the equivalent of $50+ I got an aisle seat on a non-stop flight across the country.  Oh yeah -- did you notice that I was in the last row right by the restrooms???  It was MOST pleasant after the refreshments were servered and people started lining up for the toilets.  Oh well. At least I'm on vacation for the next 10 days. It will be great to visit family and friends again.

The trip (back home).

It's 3:30am and I've got a flight in 6 hours.  For some reason, I can never sleep right before traveling on long trips away from home.  After scurrying around the last few hours packing and preparing my 'outfit' to wear on the plane, what better thing should I be doing but post my latest mix-set!?!  I actually just finished it last night, but I was too lazy to officially post it here.  This mix is typical me ... hope you like it.  You can find the full track-listing on my SoundCloud page.

(I'm going back to the east coast to visit my family in Maryland and friends in Washington, DC.  I will be away until the first week of June, but I'll probably be blogging on the go.)

One of my greatest fears.

AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com
Posted using ShareThis

I'm going back home to Maryland this weekend to visit my family.  Other than being my niece's 2nd birthday, the main goal it to take a new family portrait to include my new sister-in-law.  I sure hope my mother doesn't decide on a 'theme' for the photo session.

I miss _____.

...my friends from back home. I moved away from Washington, DC over 3 years ago and miss my old gang a lot. I generally try to make a trek back there to visit every 6 months or so, but things don't always work out that way.

Happy _____.

Parol. from Michael Almacen on Vimeo
(you can mute the sound unless you wanna hear the dog bark)

I took the video above myself from my doorstep. It's called a parol and it's one of the Christmas decorations my family here put up on their house. I will spare you the continuous 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' 8-bit Atari theme it comes with.  We were already spoken to by the neighbor.  

The holidays are interesting here in Southern California. As an east coast transplant, it's definitely a big plus that I don't have to deal with the bitter cold, inclement weather, and overcoats. It does become a lot cooler than average here, however. The scarves actually start to come out around October when the temps drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit!  ;-)  Seriously, though, it does kind of creep up on you.  You notice it more at night because the temperature changes drastically.  60 degrees with the sun out in the day is a whole lot different than let's say 50 degrees at night ... by the beach.  Trust me.  By the time night rolls around, you are just not prepared for it with the coats and things.  Just call me a baby -- I'm sensitive!

Anyway -- it's the end of an old year and the start of a whole new one.  I've started to get a lot more blog readers.  For years I used to think that I wrote to myself.  Considering I really don't advertise my musings of a whole lot of nothing, it's not bad I guess.  Thank you to all of you who do read.  More comments would be most appreciated.  Making dj mixes has also become a new hobby of mine.  Give me another year -- I'm sure I'll improve a lot.  As for work ... well, it's work.  There are a few things brewing up for me to jump on when the time is right.  Either way -- it involves some change and will eventually be the deciding factor for me to continue living here in Los Angeles.  I've been here for more than 2 years and I'm ready for a change.  We'll just leave it at that for the time being.  What else ...... ?  Oh yeah, my relationship with my family has changed a lot (for the better) this past year.  We've gotten a lot closer despite being split between coasts.  My brothers are all grown up and adults now.  My parents are now both retired and have a lot of time on their hands as well.  With the birth of my new neice, they've mellowed out big time.  Good for them.  Better for us.  Ha!  Lastly, going back home to DC in late November gave me a big boost on my personal morale level.  Seeing my family again and hanging out with old friends again is something that I miss.  We'll see what happens soon to help remedy that.

The new year is definitely a time for change on many levels.  Without the triteness of setting resolutions, I just wish everyone the best and let's start this one out with a bang.  Happy New Year everyone!

I'm Back!

Yes, I'm back ... home in LA that is. Never mind the fact that it has taken me almost a week to recover from my 10-day holiday back home in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. It was such a whirlwind experience! Other than being home in Maryland and DC, I drove down to Richmond and even took the train up to NYC for a little bit of shenanigans! I got to hang out with my family for the first part of the trip and the later part I spent it with friends. I even got to spend some long lost time with old friends from high school with the help of Facebook! No matter how hard I try to document my experiences with photos, I always seem to forget that I have a camera on hand to take quick snapshots. Either way, fond memories last longer, right? I really miss home.

Back home.

I'm currently on vacation back in the Maryland / Washington, DC area. I have been here since Saturday and it's pretty much been non-stop visiting with family and friends. There are still like 4 more days left of my 'holiday' and I'm going to make the most of it! In the meantime, take a look at the pic below. It was taken in the middle of DC at Dupont Circle. I'll post more pics soon. I'm so lucky to have pretty decent weather (ie not too cold) with me on this trip! :-)

From DC trip winter 2008

Cherry.

So it's 2 weeks later -- I just haven't been motivated to post anything until now. Better late than never, right???

Anyway, I went home for a little vacation of sorts from the 17th until the 23rd of April. It just happened to be around the annual DC Circuit Event known as CHERRY WEEKEND. Since these fabulous DJ's and parties were going on, I just HAD to make a few little appearances at these little old soirées. ;-) Seriously, though, it was a great time to meet up with old friends. It's been almost 2 years since I left DC and that whole 'party' scene behind and I just wanted to catch up with everyone. The one common factor I did notice was that everyone's gained weight (in a good way) and that facial hair and full-on beards were the new hotness. LOL. Of course I don't have any pictures to prove it. Anyway, I had this little inkling of me possibly moving back but after this weekend it was a resounding, "NO!" on that idea. Let's just say I left for a reason and in the long run it was definitely the right thing to do.

Yes Ma'am, Pam!

I'm going on vacation in a couple of days back home to Washington, DC. You just don't know how excited I am! I'm currently just trying to tie up loose ends here before I go (getting errands done, etc.). Although it's only going to be for a week, I just want to make sure I don't come to a mess, ya know???

Work is always on an up and down scale for me. Currently, I'm just a little bit over it all. I work too hard and just don't get enough finacially back. (Saving money and actually making efforts to get myself moving on is a whole other story! LOL.) In the past couple of weeks I've been entertaining the idea of moving back to the east coast. There was a position open (the same one I currently have) in one of the DC area stores that I actually had paperwork initiated for the transfer process. I came back with the position already being filled internally on their end. After I got that discussion with my boss, reality set in and I gave up almost immediately. Why would I rationally transfer to a lateral position across the country WITHOUT relocation assistance?!? I just miss home I guess.

Weather is getting HOT over here. This past weekend it was supper sunny and into the 90's on both days. Since I live near the beaches, the heat really isn't all that bad. I had to put together some furniture pieces at work today and I did the assembly outside on the loading dock. Everyone kept saying, "How could you work out here in the HEAT?" I was like ... "What heat?" It felt quite a bit warm, but I wasn't dying from the 'sweltering' temps or anything. After the fact, I realized that after growing up on the east coast and living in the Philippines for a few years, I actually knew what humidity + heat felt like. These kids here are spoiled and don't know what they're talking about! LOL.

Getting in gear.

I had one of the best IM conversations with an old friend from DC last night. We talked about 'old times' and how surprisingly, to me at least, how much he cherished our friendship. He was one of my earliest introductions into the DC 'party scene' about 4 or 5 years ago. He hosted an after-hours party (my first ever attended) where there were dozens if not hundreds of people crammed into a little 2 bedroom condo on an unassuming winter Sunday morning just sitting and gossiping and listening to music. After a full night of clubbing and being strung out on crystal meth, and ecstasy, and whatever other combination of letters in the alphabet -- what else is there to do, right? Anyway, as our IM session continued, he mentioned how much he's changed both physically and mentally and how he's lost a few friends and acquaintances along the way since his own departure from DC. "Discount drugs can only get you so far." was a quote from him that stuck to me the most. I was like, "Whoa!" We were almost having the same experiences POST-party scene. Not that I personally sold drugs or anything, I did run in the same circles, though, where I was privy to getting them with general ease. In my personal growth from being just a shy little nobody in the clubbing world, I did eventually get to the point where I would go out and about and actually KNOW dozens of people out in the clubs. A little nod here, a hug there, and quite a few air kisses in the crowds. It was kind of crazy but I did know it was because of being a part of the 'party world'. In the long run, though, I took it as what it was - nothing more or nothing less. These club acquaintances weren't necessarily real friends per se, but I know my IM buddy was definitely a FRIEND!

We chatted for a little while more and he also said, "I'd probably be DEAD now if I had stayed in DC." WOW. Talk about food for thought, huh? We both had our own personal reasons for leaving it all behind and moving on. As for myself -- I just needed to get myself back into gear. At the point where I left, I was pretty much jobless for about a year or so. Partying without any real form of income got really complicated and difficult living day to day. Coming to Los Angeles was a big ol' time out in more ways than one. I'm glad to say that both myself and my friend finally had some sense to come to terms with our destructive behaviors. Don't get me wrong, though. It's not my place to pass judgment on others for what they do. The whole drugs and partying were a major part of my life in the past where I had a lot of fun. Do I still do them now? No. Would I do them again? Hmmmm, probably. There's a time and place for them I suppose. But it's now been another year after my big move and I'm sitting here thinking, "Where to now?" I have a job now that I can say that I enjoy but financially isn't cutting it for me. Thank goodness I still have family behind me with a great living situation but I'm pushing 40 this year! I seriously have got to break free and get out on my own again real soon. Today after work, I spoke with one of my part-timers who works for an employment agency during the day. She mentioned a good lead with a major company here as a contract worker with excellent pay. I just need a game plan. It's time!

The dance.

Joe.My.God. is one of the blogs that I've been regularly reading lately. In the above, he posted a video about being 'middle aged' and still going out dancing in clubs. I was definitely guilty at gawking and possibly making comments about certain older types out and about in the clubs, but after watching the above posting, I definitely have another point of view now. I've gone on and on about it here in my own blog that I'm more than a club music fanatic. It's in my veins and simply just a part of me that I can't explain. I've been going out since after high school in '86, but I didn't actually become a 'club kid' per se until the early 90's after college. Those shenanigans really culminated up until this past summer where I was part of a group of friends in DC who were part of the A-list so to speak. I would actually be able to go out on a Friday night and actually know more than a few dozen people in the place. They were more acquaintances really than friends, but they all knew me and I knew all of them. There was indeed a sense of community and within that community I have some dear and great friendships. For some people, nightclubs and nightclubbing is just a vapid and superficial playground full of drunkenness, drugs, and sex. Well YEAH! Duh! If you're looking for it, all of that stuff is easy to find. For me -- it's really about the music and dancing and getting lost in it all. All of that other stuff is just icing on the cake I guess. I've moved on from my old clique back in DC and definitely don't go out as much. Maybe now is a good time to take a new lease on my social life. My little taste of it last weekend in West Hollywood with my friend Tony brought back a lot of good memories. It's a new crowd here in LA. I'm definitely creeping up into the one of the 'older guys' at the club status too. It doesn't matter. I'll just go out and dance and have a good time just like I always have!

In de ghetto.

I live in an area / neighborhood of Washington, DC called Shaw. With the advent of gentrification all over the place here, I certainly live on the *fringe* of what is and what isn't ghetto (pronounced: zhet-toe) LOL. On the way home from Frank's house I took the #96 city bus across town en route to Stadium Armory. At around 1:30 AM I witnessed one of the most interesting of things. (Mind you I was the only one on the bus at the time!) At the corner of 14th Street and U Street, NW, the bus operator proceeded to jump out of the bus at a red light and tried to make his way to the all night mcdonald's window on the corner. Exasperated because he was obviously hungry and the line was too long, he reluctantly got back on the bus to continue on his late night route. As the bus operator was buckling himself back in, some random man waiting for another bus to come by offered to sell him his pizza for $5.00. As a whole stop light cycle came and went, I literally witnessed an exchange of words to sell this sausage and olive pizza from PAPA JOHN'S. "Let me see it!" "It's cold!" "Oh no you didn't just drop it! Damn, I'm *howngree* -- lemme buy that damned pizza!" Wow -- the driver finally bought the pizza and in the same motion, trying to catch the next green light, proceeded to drive the bus with a somewhat cold pizza in his right hand, and pizza box and steering wheel in the other! To make things better, we pick up another rider about 2 blocks down who tries to use a bus transfer well expired beyond the time allotted. The driver then quizzes the new rider about how old the transfer is with his mouth full of pizza and driving at the same time. The rider, in turn, attempts to actually pay another fare when lo and behold, the driver asks if the kid has any soda in his bag. The kid pulls it out and gives it to him and is subsequently excused from paying another fare! WOW!!!! I like living in the city. :-)