Hot damn

I am tired, but there is much to be happy about. I successfully made it in to my client yesterday morning (let's call them CJ), a little tired but glad to be coming in for an entire day's worth of work. It's been a tad over two months since I last came in, and the last four months overall have been pretty light in terms of hours. It was good to be back in saddle though, so that was the main thing.

Next up, my normal Tuesday lunch with L. which was interesting as usual. I realized a few more differences between us, but thinking back it might be worth reflecting on that a little more... later anyway. Back to CJ, whereupon J. called to verify whether we were meeting up for wings tonight - bonus. See, J. and her SO R. and I typically get wings Tuesday nights (a sort of long-standing tradition) - that is, until they moved to Chicago last month. She had mentioned this possibility earlier as she was headed to Peoria for work-ish reasons this morning, but now it was certain. This also meant she would be staying the night. Excellent.

This is when I hear even more good news. CJ wants to take care of a bunch of things before I might end up taking off (perhaps this last hiatus worried them?), so they expect to have a goodly amount of stuff for me over the next 2-3 months. Music to my ears. Not only that, but they want me to come in every day for the rest of this week because they should have more than enough work for me! Sweet. I won't say I'm poor, or even in financial worry, but I was feeling a little uncomfortable due to a confluence of factors (mostly dwindling reserves and uncertain future). Oodles of high-paying consulting work is a welcome thing.

Oddly enough, this would also be the first time since last November that I would be needing to be somewhere in the morning on a regular basis, let alone at 9am. In any case, after finishing up, I meet up with Roy and surprisingly he agrees to join J. and me for wings. I say surprisingly because I got the impression from previous times we asked him to join us that he wasn't into the whole wings thing (not even enough to just tolerate it so he could enjoy our fine company ;) ). I guess I was wrong. This outing proved to bring out quite a bit about the nature of J.'s relationship with her former roommate J.R., and somewhat in turn also with R. Her recent trip down to Disney World with J. and introspection relative to that served as the fuel. It brought a somewhat significant set of insights into J., who is someone I already know and love very well.

We hung around at Roy and Jet's place for a little while (Jet had yet to make it back home from his Labor Day excursion), before J. and I headed back (separately) to my place. It was closing on midnight when I got back - I knew it was important to get sleep since I'd pretty much be doing the whole 9-5 thing this whole week.

Anyway, after preparing for sleep and tucked in, J. asked me to tell her bedtime stories to which I happily obliged. I consider her a person who understands me fairly well, and it was very rewarding to be able to tell her about all the neat, personally significant stuff that occured to me over this past San Francisco/Korea/Japan/Seattle (bookended in Aurora) trip. It was a fairly rare moment - at least for recent times due to our criss-crossing paths these days - but one that reinforced why I am so fond of her. Eventually we decided sleep was probably a good idea for us both, and thus I forwent the daily update yesterday.

I had to drag my ass out of bed this morning, but overall I was pleased that this wasn't as much of a struggle as I thought it could end up being (especially given recent and rather frequent experience). I only got maybe 6 hours, so sleep deprivation was starting to catch up to me (yeah yeah I know, I'm getting old). But there was something satisfying about it. Work was good, but that's all I really have to say about that for this entry.

I had to call my godparents and tell them I wasn't going to be making it to my weekly dinner with them today. In store today was a BBQ hosted by L. and her SO C. for 1) a graduation celebration for Subbu who just finished his M.S., and 2) a sort of house-warming. I knew Subbu, S., and I were invited, but I didn't find out until I got there that we were the only people invited. So it was a fairly intimate, and very nice gathering. The house was a style I really liked, and the halls, master bedroom, and bathroom that L. had recently painted were quite tasteful colors. After grilling an assortment of chicken, turkey dogs, and burgers, we enjoyed a rather tasty banana cake and, believe it or not, a rousing game of charades! I guess this is a more popular game for adults in India than in these parts, because Subbu demonstrated the existence of some sophisticated conventions that I never recalled learning the last time I ever played (grade school? middle school?). Anyway, it was fun and I got to throw around some witty comments, which is always a nice thing. This was my first opportunity to really get to know C., who was a bit less relaxed in the last setting I met him. Also was glad to spend time with Subbu before he took off, and the more time I spend with S. the more I appreciate his company. It was a remarkably enjoyable event.

Which brings us up to the present. I got out of there around 10:30 and being a stone's throw from Roy and Jet's headed over there (where I am presently as I type this). Of course, all this lack of sleep caught up to me and after a small bit of catching up on scrab, totally conked out. Nice friend I am, eh? =) No big deal though, since Jet was showing Roy Moulin Rouge (and now they're playing Halo together). Anyway, this has been way too long of a post, but definitely a pair of days with notable contents. Hope it wasn't too boring for anyone ;).

One thing I'll note though. This must be what it feels like for people who work 9-5 jobs... always doesn't seem like there's much time to squeeze many activities in, and before you know it you need to go to sleep (plus feeling groggy in mornings and dealing with sleep deprivation, etc)! It gives me renewed appreciation for how much time you really get being an unemployed bum, and the true potential of that state... =). Hah, it strikes me that this observation is entirely consistent with the periods of my life where I had 9-5ish jobs - it just had been so easy to forget. I am thankful for the reminder to use my time wisely when I get it. Now I'd better get to sleep... [01:44]