Bens Chili Bowl

yeah it ends like this

Omega

I know...the sign is vague....so are we. Need to eat.

Be Bar (continued #2)

blurry. i know. fun. hmmph

Be Bar (continued)

So the doorman found each of us in the club and returned our cover charge. Apparently we were on some list and didn't even think to ask when we arrived. We are too gay, but of course he knew our names. Our bartender friend, Brad, said he didn't do it. We might be fabulous (for once in our life...or perhaps this is the thousandth time and we didn't notice).

Magnificent.

Be Bar

Timmy is tired and went home, but we've moved on with Anacani to Be Bar. Having a smoke b4 we go in.

Solly's Tavern

This is where we really are going. All the peeps are here!

Bar Nun

Jusr Kidding...despite our efforts to convince Cici to escort us in (bad idea all around) we didn't go. We had jeans on anyway and there's a dress code. Funny...jeans and cherry pie kept us out.

Pollys U St. Cafe

...and so the party resumes...where it all began in DC.

The Ellington

so it isn't a bar but we had to drop off the purchases. Short distraction (drinks included)

Dinner

I ordered a dinner roll for RJ and I but Sayid insists we have pita. Serves 8. Bee Aye Dee. Shouldn't a "dinner" roll be sufficient. Oh you judge.

Barrel House Liquors

Trying to work a free pack of Red Bull but I evacuated too soon before Randy could work his magic. Enroute back to 1409 where Timmy is holding court.

Titan's Ramrod

The sign outside is hard to photograph without going across the street so we snatched a pic of the mirror sign inside. We intended to have just one, but it is BOGO free just like Payless. We must alert Timmy and the bankers that it could be a moment (or 7) till we return to Playbill.

Dakota Cowgirl

We left the bankers at Playbill and went down the street to the former Hamburger Mary's, now called Dakota Cowgirl. An Absolut Ruby Red is in order here. We passed the Barrel Liquor store. Might have to get some Vodka...it's on clearance says the sign in the winder.

1409 Playbill Cafe

We finally arrived at the Playbill to drink with Timmy and the bankers. our amazing bartender, Eric, is serving up some more Joans. RJ and I pre-arranged a commitment to protect each other from the Patron tonight. We'll see.

Our friend gives us money!

Our friend, Atam, has been giving us money all day for Sinful Saturday. Hope he doesn't run out. Here's RJ getting another handful from Atam.

Stoney's

Timmy is waiting, but we couldn't get down P St. without a pee break. A quick shot at Stoney's and a bathroom break then we are on our way!

JR's

What's a Sinful Saturday without a drink at the JRaaaz? Enough coffee...back to the Rose Kennedys. It is time we meet the bankers for HH, but one here is fine.

Lucky Bar (continued)

...so it is a bit blurry, but so are we. The random stranger must have been further into his grapes than we are. Arcelia is a fantastic bartender. We had two holiday themed coffees and will be on our way shortly!

Lucky Bar

Settling in for a pick me up coffee drink!

Sign of the Whale

Just a quick Joan Kennedy amongst the straights from FL making jokes about their adventures with the DC Cougars

Rumors

We had a fantastic brunch, some bloodies and some shots

Brunch!

Time for brunch with Rita Jean! This pic is from a few weeks ago when we started the day with an innocent lunch. Bloody Mary joined us and the rest was a quagmire. Thankfully he didn't buy those glasses, but they sure made for a pretty picture! Smile RJ

Happy Holidays

Wow - Haven't posted in five months! I am getting ready to stop smoking again and this was quite therapeutic to write on here (to nobody) about it the last time. I figured it would be a great idea to start it back up! I've gotten serious about the tattoo, which coincidentally appears to be the last thing I blogged about. I would like to quit smoking on January 2, to coincide with the DC smoking ban. I am fairly decided that a tattoo would be a great way to commemorate this event and would give me something concrete to focus on. I settled on an artist through a recommendation from my military friend. I met with his guy, Tony, at Jinxproof in Georgetown. He seems really cool and understands what I want. It will be much in the style of my favorite tattoo artist, Stevie Moon, but Tony definitely has his own take on things. I need to schedule a two hour freehand drawing session on half of my back and then he'll make a template to mirror image it. The whole process will take several weeks and numerous visits of 2-4 hours to fill it in. I realize this is quite an ambitious undertaking, but again - will give me something to focus on and is definitely better than smoking! The tattoo could save my life! Of course the BF still says I should go for laser hair removal first. I barely have much to shave - I think I'll bypass the hair removal.

So here's a catch up since the last post.

1. Still Smoking (obviously as mentioned above)
2. Got a stress fracture in the hip - despite my doctor's specific demand to not even travel, I went to VA Beach over Labor Day weekend and collapsed in horrific pain after walking (yes walking) the first mile.
3. The 'surprise' was fantastic, but I ended up traveling for several weeks in a row before the vacation so I ended up revealing the secret about a month in advance. We had an amazing time in Greece. Made many new friends from all over the world! While I didn't live blog from Europe, I did go back and convert my written journal to vacation posts on here.
4. The promotion...nice story there...my boss left and it was never processed. The new director thought it was put in place so I missed it in the fall promo-equity cycle too. Rumor has it I'm actually being recommended for it with the next cycle in a few months - I'm over it.
5. Work is great - growing substantially and getting more responsibility. This means regular trips to NC which I am not looking forward to.
6. Christmas was amazing - spent time in OH & PA with friends and family. Five locations, four nights, fun times!
7. Mom is doing well...still seems depressed since her stroke.
8. Planning the next vacation in March! Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, here we come!
9. Got a new car. The damn mini-hoo haa was in the shop 10 times in 11 months. Went with a little CUV - much better for the road trips and grocery getting. Still take the train to work though!

Funny how I can summarize five months in 9 short lines.