dahanese.com

so, i'm sitting here in texas talking to my amazing felicia about how i don't know what time zone it is and how i should potentially go eat dinner, and it occurred to me how insane my travel has been and will be this year. i've already stated in the office i'm making this into a fun game and trying to reach gold status on american - but i might even be able to go beyond that.

let's sketch out what i've done so far this year:

JANUARY
3 days in Dallas, dev trip - (12, 13, 14) American Air

FEBRUARY
3 days in Vegas, event - (6, 7, 8) Virgin (folly! not reaching my goal!)
3 days in Dallas, dev trip (23, 24, 25) American Air

projected trips include:
MARCH
3 days in Ohio (7, 8, 9)
4 days in Boston (10, 11, 12, 13)
3 days in Canada (14, 15, 16)

APRIL
3 days in Dallas
3 days in Canada

MAY
OH GOD I THINK I DO NOT TRAVEL!

JUNE
3 days in LA (barely a trip)

JULY
3 days in LA (barely a trip!)
3 days in Canada (MAYBE)
***VACATION - potentially Australia, likely Vegas***

AUGUST
4 days in Seattle

I will also take one, hopefully two trips to NYC for my family - and I will probably have to take one or two short trips for another project.

Thank goodness I love my job, eh?

If you've been following my Twitter account for any length of time, likely you have heard me say at least once that I have been Jejuned. If you are confused, this blog post is for you. It probably won't make you any less confused, but it will at the very least explain what the hell I mean when I turn the word jejune into a verb.

First, some backstory.

my second favorite band, without question, is jimmy eat world. (tori being first.) my second favorite album, without question, is clarity. (boys for pele being first.)

last night, jimmy eat world played the fillmore, a teeny venue 1 block from where i live. they played the entirety of clarity, as they published the album 10 years ago.

my friend lydia got me a free ticket. i had a ton of work, and almost didn't make the show, but mike got one for a steal on the street, and we went together.

yesterday was a horrific day for me, and i was quite upset and stressed.

but i heard them play all of clarity, live, and i was about 100 feet from them when they did it.

it was awesome.

note: that title is a joke. i'm professional.

but, today, i had a meeting with a company called wikia, who wanted to pitch me on their services and see if i wanted to work with them. i forgot they were coming. if i had remembered, i would not have brought pancake in.

at 11, the receptionist tells me they are here. i think, whatever, my dog's cute, and walk her down with me to the lobby. i start shaking hands, getting names, and then one of the guys goes "and jimmy wales decided to come today to give the presentation!"

yeah. i definitely asked dawn to hold on to pan for the next hour so i could let the founder of wikipedia give me a presentation.

DOH.

(as an aside that is definitely me being proud and also laughing at myself, he is rarely in the country apparently but they told me that we're a big name they really want to work with, so he wanted to come out and meet us. and then the guy who said that made a little impressed noise when he asked what i did and i said i founded and run the company's community and community-based events. i mean, thanks for being impressed, but dude, have you seen that guy sitting to my right?)

so, you probably know i went on a quick "tour" of london. so now i can officially say yes, i've been to europe. which is actually really awesome, except i can only say i passed by windsor castle, was hartleypool, newcastle, a bit of the tube, and a lot of heathrow airport. i landed on monday morning about 7 am, spent the day at the office, flew out to newcastle 8 am tuesday, back that night, (and at a lovely meal that the cow, if you know it, it's great) and then flew home on my amazing london-->LA-->SFO 14 hour journey 11 am wednesday.

so if you call that seeing london, next time, i'll see it a bit more.

anyway, the point of my story is this: business class rocks, and everyone should try their damnedest to get free miles. i always thought miles were for free tickets, and i'm sure they are, but by god, man, maybe buying a coach ticket and upgrading to business is where it's at. especially on the SFO to NY or SFO to london trips i'll be taking. nevermind the czech republic. you get a printed menu, a fully extending BED of a seat, and a pretty amazing meal. and for my london trip when we got in i got access to a shower and a lounge where i could drink some actually decent coffee.

now, in comparison, coach class home on my 12 hour flight was not as godawful as you would think. i was on a window, and sure, the woman behind me thought it was heinously awful i put my seat back as far as it would go, complained to high heaven about how shitty i was for that, and kicked my seat every 20 minutes, but i snoozed, read, and played DS. and they served me this horrid chicken and rice thing, some crackers, and a pizza, and while that doesn't compare to warm nuts and salad and steak and a cheese plate, hey, at least they feed you, right?

well. no, actually. because at 4 am the next morning (the morning of thanksgiving, mind you, the morning i'm to cook a 17 pound turkey, stuffing, and gravy for all my friends) i'm on my knees wretching up all that so-called coach class airplane food. until about 9 am. and the horror of the food poisoning doesn't stop the entire day. yes, i went to the dinner, although i could barely walk until around 11:30, and probably shouldn't have gone (i'm a moron.) i didn't really cook, but sat around and had people do what i told them, which was pretty much the only way food was going to get put in the oven. well, my part at least.

in a roundabout way, i'm saying my thanksgiving was really fun, and the food turned out well, and yes i had to go home by 8 and was dead asleep by 9, but by friday i was fine. and in some ways, i suppose being sick on that holiday was nice, because i was in too much pain to miss mom until friday, and somehow it being friday, and not thursday, the day i thought i'd be spending with her, the first thanksgiving i'd have with her since i was 15... somehow being sick and not thinking about that was really good. being around all my friends playing rock band trying desperately to stay hydrated, that was good.

today i was sitting on the couch and mike was talking about the list of stuff he was asking for from his parents for christmas, and i said "get fallout and fable for me!" and he said, "i'm asking for fallout" and i reply "fable II also please, i want!" and he says "why don't you ask for it?" and i replied "i don't have anyone to give my presents anymore." and he just kind of looked at me, and i didn't mean it in a guilt trip, or a pity, or a sad kind of way. it was just that way. basically, these days, mom did the still-a-kid christmas. which adults don't need at all, but it's fun and awesome in its own way (albeit with its drawbacks, but that's mom.) but, of course, when i said it, and the beat set in, and he went back to his thing and i went back to mine, i realized i was trying desperately not to cry, and even typing this, i'm trying desperately not to cry.

the best coping is still not thinking about it, except in metered, measured doses, or when i'm alone, and sadly, always when i'm driving my car.

i wish i could ask her exactly why her gravy is always so much better than mine. i've gotten mine down to damned good, but it's this weird light beige color and it's just wrong. i have no idea what exactly she does that took it to this holy good god heaven of a gravy level.

i do not miss her waldorf salad, not a bit. mayo as a dressing always weirded me out.

but i really miss her.

so last night i had my housewarming shackmeet. pictures of the apartment will be up soon, i promise. the even was good. we had about 17 people here, including ourselves, and played games and chatted. and it was not too crowded!

it's weird to have to stop drinking and sit around and let everyone sober up, but honestly, i'm glad they do that.

by 2 am, everyone had left but chris remo and jake, who stayed talking business with me till... 4.30 am? yeah. when finally i looked at the clock and was like HOLY FUCK and they left.

woke up at 10 and felt like hell. sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, body ache. i'm like, fuckin great. but, we clean up and go to the MOST AWESOME farmer's market ever. like... jesus. 100 or more stalls? so we buy some yummy food, and then i come home and make homemade bacon and eggs and brusselsprouts, and then i passed out because i felt like hell.

i miss sarah, and i miss dad. but i have to say i don't miss my tiny apartment. i miss my old friends, i miss new york partying, but i really love my job and what i'm doing here. i don't relish paying for gas and my car, but i really do like it here.

so last night i woke up around 4 am to torrential rain and terrified lightning. loving that sound, i snuggled down happy.

but today i wake up and check the shack before heading off to work and hear that the new york subways are flooded and i'm going to have to walk to work. OH SNAP.

so i got about halfway there and then a cab stops and lets people out. YOINK. i stole that badboy because there is nothing worse than arriving at work sweaty and disgusting.

but seriously. it's like Thunderdome. hordes of people angrily fighting for buses and cabs. apparently the working subways are hysterically dangerous. some dude was fighting and BARKING at another passenger trying to get on a pack train.

barking.

man, i'm going to miss new york.

so yesterday, loboca and i decided to go find us some furniture.

i got myself a chai, since i was dying of tired and nightmares, and then we went to 23rd and 6th-ish, to "straight from the crate". there, i found like 3 tables that would work for me. one little round thing with drop leaves, one pretty big dark table that opened HUGE, and a gateleg table that had folding chairs with it that stored inside it. also huge.

we also went to a futon place, where loboca considered the merits of faux-leather, and how, in nyc humidity, he would stick to it. we also talked about having a girlfriend is better than a dog, and where to get a microsuede couch.

afterwards, we came back to my apartment, where he reinvisioned my living room. i must actually flip where the couch and the tv are, and make myself a wall of bookshelves. all in all, he's a lot smarter than me.

today, i realized there was a "straight from the crate" 1 block from our work, so i brought eric there and we pretty much decided on purchasing the gateleg table, in a natural wood color.

i applaud loboca for being a superior interior decorator. now, he must pick out new overhead light, a paint color for my living room, and find me this tv/bookshelf set up that he has so amazingly put together.

ready? ready? GO.