Where the mens at	February 21, 2006

If you read such blogs as First Date DC (and I do, ‘cause it’s funny), you’ll see that the lack of good men in DC is a hot topic for pretty much everyone lately. Bloggers, friends, coworkers--everyone seems to be singing the same song: where are all the good men? And I would like to offer forth my suggested answer: Virginia.

I went to see my boyfriend’s band play on Saturday night at a hole-in-the-wall bar in Alexandria on Saturday night, and I often found my eyes just wandering around the room, sizing up the crowd. Assembled here in a small, non-threatening venue were a number of 25-35-year old men, all passionate about music but grounded enough to hold down a day job. And it caused me to wonder – hadn’t I seen these people before? Every time I go out with Steve and his friends out in V-land, I see guys. Normal, hard-working, friendly, non-threatening guys, just hanging around.

Since I’m off the market, it’s not as though I’m approaching each one of them to find out their marital status, but something about the way they travel in packs leads me to believe that they’re still single. And of course, while I see friendly passionate interesting guys hanging around, I also see the typical assholes. They have those in Virginia, too.

I’m just throwing it out as an option. The downside, of course, if you go to Virginia to meet men is that you may end up dating a Virginian. Which, as I can testify, results in lengthy metro rides and/or increased gas consumption.

Johari me, please!	February 17, 2006

I have no idea why I am so fascinated by this, but I ask that you please take a few moments to go to http://kevan.org/johari?name=onyah and click on five or six words that you think describe me. And then I'll learn all about myself. Or I'll learn how terribly terribly wrong I am about myself.

If you, in turn, set one up for yourself, I promise to do it for you!

The end is coming!!	February 11, 2006

It’s Saturday morning. Sadly, I woke up a 7:30 this morning, and couldn’t get back to sleep. It’s good to have some productive at-home time - I’m doing some much-needed laundry, and I’m finally going to clean my bathroom floor (how long has it been? Ew).

I’ve got the local news on, and everyone is preparing for a winter apocalypse of biblical proportions. I scoff at them. Having grown up in the Midwest, I do not fear snow, and folks around here make me laugh with the way the freak out. Six inches of snow? Sweet Lord! It’s time to shut down the city and pray for mercy!

My plans for the weekend shall not be deterred (though sitting inside and watching the prettiness sounds like a great way to spend a weekend).

Getting some control back	February 1, 2006

Hi all! Sorry it's been so long… going to San Antonio took my life and flipped it totally upside down. Once I got back, I had crazy amounts of catch-up work to do. In the future, I'm going to have to plan my work travel a little better - being out of the office for 6 days when your big huge annual event is fast approaching is just not a good idea. It's behind us now, which is a very good feeling.

When I got back from San Antonio, a little surprise was waiting for me - I may have to fall off the face of the earth for 4 months, starting in early March. I won't be divulging the specifics here (Where is she going? Rehab? Arctic voyage? Contestant on the next episode of Survivor? I'll have to leave you in suspense). Preparing for this is another giant stress-builder - how on earth is my job going to get done in my absence? Am I going to have to miss my cousin's graduation? No Boston in May? Possibly. Being unsure about your future can drive you insane.

Only Monday did I get a chance to restore my apartment to some semblance of normality - putting the suitcases away, pitching all the conference crap that was piling up in corners, doing laundry, and finally doing something about my ginormous dust-bunnies (which were really more like dust-were-rabbits). My kitchen still lacks and foodstuffs, and my finances have been thrown way off-balance, but otherwise, life is kinda back to normal.

It's amazing how a little added stress in one department of your life can cause the rest of it to go tumbling down the spiral as well. Work's got me freaked out? Well, then I can't be expected to keep my apartment clean. Or return any phone calls. Or maintain a healthy caffeine balance. Or keep my finances in order. I seem to be a woman of extremes - I am either rolling along swimmingly, with all my ducks in a row, or I find myself falling off of every wagon that I should be rolling along on. Thankfully, most of the wagons seem happy to let me back on.

I hope everything is going well for everyone else out there!