This and that

I'm a little all over the place. Time for an un-themed list.

• Whoever got that the title of the last post was a semi-pun, thanks. It wasn't my best work, but I'm glad someone noticed.

• Paul wanted to know more about the two blogger happy hours next week. I could go into the differences between the two events, but I'd probably get myself into trouble. I've attended both,I've been to the "meetup" more often. Plenty of crossover between the two groups, though. He also asked how you recognize the bloggers. Good question! I don't know the answer. I recognize them because I've met enough to know who they are. The first meetup I went to, someone put a sign out. Maybe ask I-66 how they plan to make themselves known.... Also, non-bloggers are welcome.

For sure I'll be at the Wednesday night meetup at RFD.

I'm a maybe for Thursday because I have a friend's birthday thing first. If that's fun, I'll stay. If I'm bored, I'll see you at Porter's.

• I'm thinking about taking a class this winter, before rowing starts in spring. Because I'll be rowing again in March or April, this is pretty much my only shot at an extra curricular for this year. My options:

Digital photography (basically, learning to use Photoshop)
Black and White photography
Ceramics
Drawing
Knitting

I've done all of these things before, in camp or in junior high (except the digital photography class). My big deal through the end of junior high was drama (notice how that didn't make the list?). I also was in chorus off and on for years. My friend, Nancy, thinks drawing would be the thing most unlike my day-to-day experiences. Sitting in front of a computer doing Photoshop stuff is not that appealing, but I did have fun in the darkroom with the black and white process as a kid. I'm an ok photographer and would probably get better with some instruction. The practical and soothing aspects of knitting make it appealing. And if you screw up, you can just rip out the stitches and start over. Working with clay also has a tactile appeal and I think working on the wheel would be fun. I've never done that. There is little emotional cost to drawing and I liked sketching quite a lot when I was in the seventh grade. Not that I was good at it. Adequate. I never took an art class in college, though. In theory, I could take drawing and knitting, but that's two nights a week booked for the next two months. Seems like a bit much. And you must pay. I can afford it but I don't want to pay if it's just going to bore me or burn me out. Hmm.

• Last night, I went out to hear the Acme Blues Company with CK. The band was good, though there was no dancing. More remarkable was the venue: Chick Hall's Surf Club. It was my kind of place. Seriously. CK agreed, "It's comforting." It was dirty, low-down and absolutely unpretentious. We would have stayed longer if there were dancing, but by 10pm we were yawning and out. Remarkably, Chick's is only a 20 minute drive from my house but it feels like another country. Absolutely nothing in the interior or exterior suggested a "Surf Club" (even if I knew what that were), rather it was plastered with Budweiser posters and gaming slips. This tantalizing line appears on the website, "No one knows for sure why it was originally named the 'Surf Club' although there are several theories." And then...not a single theory is listed.

• Options for Saturday night include going to a swing dance, but just thinking about it makes me tired (not in a good way). I don't know if I can deal with the scary guys right now. I'll definitely keep it on the agenda for next week, though. Instead of a dance, I think I'll find some live music on H St. It's super convenient; I can walk there and take a cab home. And I can DRINK. (The swing dance is strictly non-alcoholic.) Which, I realized last night, I would definitely like to do. I had a beer last night (draft Bud--perfect), but since I was driving, that was it. On Saturday, I think I'll have TWO drinks. Party!

• Going out to see live music by myself is something I like to do from time to time. (Note: remember to bring earplugs.) It once lead to one of the strangest dates I've ever had. That will have to wait for another post.

• It may be of interest to some of you that I now use Google Docs (docs.google.com) to compose my posts. It's very much like Word, but accessible via the internet, which means you can edit from any computer with an internet connection. Very handy. It's free if you have a Google account. If you need a Google Account, let me know and I can send you an invite.

• At work I have to fill out a "Management Competencies Assessment Tool" about my interest in becoming a supervisor. (Technically, I am a supervisor, but I don't supervise anyone.) If I indicate that I want to be a supervisor, I have to "briefly describe [my] career goals and aspirations." I gotta tell ya, that one is a head scratcher.

Grateful for: time to collect my thoughts.

Drop me a line.