This past weekend finally felt...real. The dust has settled, I'm feeling adjusted, and a routine is slowly but surely being established. By Friday, I will have been working remotely for a solid month, and we will have been in the Metro DC area for five whole weeks. My body is finally understanding that this is not an extended vacation. This is life.
As such, the weekend brought with it some of the things that would typically occur during an Orlando weekend for me, albeit with a twist or two.
Having enjoyed a Shabbat service at DC's Temple Micah the previous week, TJ and I decided to see how the gays brought in the Sabbath at the Jewish Community Center on Friday night. Not much to say here, save that we will be returning to Temple Micah post haste. On the bright side, we ran into a half dozen of TJ's coworkers as we were getting on the homebound metro, and they convinced us to turn around and join them for drinks at Russia House. We ran into another half dozen or so of TJ's new coworkers at the bar, and a fun time was had by all. The evening ended in a shared cab ride home, but not before a 30-seconds-long chance encounter with an unmarked strip joint beside the ATM.
TJ and I caught a movie (Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, in IMAX 3D) on Saturday morning with one of TJ's new coworkers, Susan. We met Susan at a meet n' greet the Monday evening before the FSO's started their new gig. I like Susan; We made a pact early on that it was okay to be inappropriate around each other. This type of bond is especially important if you're living somewhere like DC, where everyone has to put on airs.
Saturday afternoon found us heading to the DC National Guard Armory to join even more of TJ's coworkers for perhaps the most unusual thing I have ever seen: Roller Derby. From Wikipedia:
Roller derby is an American-invented contact sport—and historically, a form of sports entertainment—based on formation roller skating around an oval track, with points scored as certain players lap members of an opposing team. In past decades, roller derby had been primarily a professional or paid sport for both women and men. Contemporary roller derby is international,[1][2] predominantly female, typically operates on an amateur (or unpaid) circuit, and has a strong do it yourself ethic [3] which often features both athleticism[4] and a punk[5] third-wave feminism[6] aesthetic.
I didn't read that until today, though, so all I saw was a couple dozen women wearing their underwear on the outside of their pants rolling in circles. Still, it was fun. I'd go again, given the chance.
Sunday was a regular shopping day at Tyson's Corner, followed by Vietnamese food and the Academy Awards.
What a great weekend. There were some oddball events that tell me I'm not in Orlando anymore, yet some normal moments that remind me there's no place like home...and home is where, and what, you make it.
Good to hear you're doing well and having fun adventures.
ReplyDeleteJust make sure that you make some friends outside of TJ's coworkers so you don't develop an isolated feeling.
HaHa! Believe me, I recognize the importance of stepping outside of that circle. We've enjoyed some evening on the town without the coworkers; I've spent time with their spouses; we've had friends come visit already from out of town. The reality of the situation, though, is that, while in DC, a lot of time will be spent with the coworkers. We all live in the same place! But that's ok. They're all very friendly and easy to talk to.
ReplyDelete