Things are looking up:

I picked an office, so hopefully I'll start having some work to do. I got a desk right away (like 15 minutes after I told the people where I was going), which is nice too. The office was a bit of a shot in the dark. I liked the work they did and the people I met and just sort of jumped in. I wanted to make sure I wasn't in an office that expected me to program all day, but other than that, this is a chance to see what I like. It's only six months if I end up not liking it anyway.

I'm slowly starting to make some friends. I've talked to some of the younger people from my EOD class quite a bit, and I've had someone to have lunch with basically every day. Hopefully the people in my new office will end up being pretty cool.

I'm sorry ND fired Willingham. I thought he was a good coach, but I guess a ND coach can't have that kind of record. It's dumb since they aren't what they used to be and it's harder to recruit now.

Oh, and I wanted to cry for Lena on TAR tonight. 100 bales of hay? And for nothing. That would be me on that show. But I would have been all over the desk building at Ikea. My roommate and I could have done it in about half an hour.

Ah, realism:

I went to Mass today. The priest was talking about people who have lost their way and referred to "people who get drunk too often." It's nice to know that my religion approves of getting drunk occasionally.

See, that's the thing with Catholicism. Mostly, sinning is doing anything to excess. So drinking is fine. Getting trashed three nights a week is not. Gambling is OK. Losing the house at roulette is not. If only the Church could adopt this attitude towards everything. That would be a religion that I wouldn't have such a hard time with.

The Sims 2:

Thanks to the fine people over at Fametracker, I've decided that I must go buy the Sims 2 now. No waiting till Christmas for me. Which is dumb because my parents want a Christmas list and the only thing I have to put on it is a new rear windshield/tailight for my car (stupid vehicle safety inspections). My computer could use some more RAM, so maybe I can get my dad to buy that. But these aren't exactly exciting things to open (those stupid Lexus commercials aside, car things rarely are) so my mother will disapprove.

It's hard though. When you just bought a roomful of furniture and are making four times as much money as you've ever made before, you kind of wish you could just skip Christmas for yourself this year. That will never go over in my family. I might ask for a goat. Any other ideas? Either interesting charities or things I can't live without?

Thanksgiving:

Though I get generous holidays (yay, federal government!), I don't get the Friday after Thanksgiving off. Basically everyone takes the day off, but since I've been there less than two weeks, so I don't have any vacation leave built up. So I have to work on Friday, which kind of sucks. I am going to dinner down in the District with my aunt on Thursday.

No one is in my office Friday morning (and maybe not all day-- the chief hasn't decided if she's coming in) and I'm not on the key list since it's a temporary assignment. I also don't have any work to do. God, 8 hours of that is going to be really boring.

Not dead:

I'm not, you know. No wireless in my apartment building. In the last week, I've checked my email three times. Once in E--'s hotel room and twice at the Laurel public library. Luckily, you don't need a card to use the internet here, Dekalb County.

Basically, I've spent the last week buying furniture from Ikea, assembling furniture from Ikea, wedging wooden dowels in the wrong holes, trying and failing to remove them with pliers and Vasoline, and realising that instead of being held together by a three inch long metal screw, my bed is held together by half a disintegrating wooden dowel. Fun.

I've also been to work, enjoying the exciting world of orientation. It's been a blast, let me tell you. I'd be there today except that there was a water main break, so I got today off. Of course I didn't know that till I drove up there, but what can you do?

Went to Coyote Ugly on Saturday. Did not dance on the bar.

I've been a bit bored, with no internet and roommate gone a lot. So, you know, call me.

No internet:

Just so you guys know, I may have indifferent/no internet access for the next couple of weeks (I'm hoping someone in the building has wireless I can borrow until AT&T gets set up around Dec 1, but I can't count on that). If you want to get in touch with me, I will still have my Chicago cell phone number.

I'm currently in a Holiday Inn Express in Archdale, NC. Five-ish more hours of driving puts me into DC about 1:30.

Things that suck:

Right now, Novocaine and having to spend $160 on tires for my car. And these were in rapid succession. The people at the tire place must have thought that there was something seriously wrong with me. At least they gave me antifreeze for free.

Manuel's and an army base:

Talk about a way to see the different parts of society. At Manuel's last night, there was I believe one Republican team at trivia. And there were a lot of Kerry/Edwards bumber stickers in the parking lot.

But while driving on the army base to get my move arranged, I saw more Bush/Cheney stickers than I think I had over the last two months.

Move is getting worked out, though. Laundry is mostly done. I'm really almost leaving.

I did my part:

I voted for Kerry, I voted against Cynthia McKinney and fricking Johnny Isaksen, I voted against the Georgia marriage amendment. Lot of good those did. At least my guy for State House won by 200 votes. And scary judge appellate judge man is in a runoff.

I find the marriage amendment particularly perplexing. Beyond the fact that I don't understand why people care so much about other people's business, I don't understand how the Georgia amendment could possible fail to violate the US Constitution. Not that this appeared on the ballot or anything, but the amendment as written contained two clauses that I believe are illegal. One which says that Georgia will fail to recognise legal civil unions of other states. Um, full faith and credit? Another which says that Georgia courts will not adjudicate cases involving property disputes arising from civil unions. How does that not violate due process? You know, Georgia, just because people are gay does not mean that they are not citizens. I am honestly perplexed here. If anyone can explain why these clauses are legal, I'd be interested to hear.

Oh well. That one at least will end up in court.

Quick, before work:

Found an apartment, I'll email out details later. Trip was good, Halloween was uneventful, went to Ikea!

Off to work and then to vote afterwards.