I just wanted to take the time to thank Jeff. He’s been encouraging me to take full advantage of the perks in my life I seem to take for granted. Most of it has to do with my job. It wasn’t until after I got back from Florida that I started working overtime and taking advantage of the “time plus half” overtime pay. And just today, after talking to Jeff, I’ve begun taking advantage of the free dinner AOL provides every night to those working past 7 PM (tonight’s meal was from Big Bowl—I had the beef & broccoli and ditched the carb-filled rice). I’ve learned to appreciate the unique position I’m in, and understand that I have a duty to manage my available resources well. This mentality isn’t only relegated to the work sphere. I’m learning to spend my money more wisely, as well as my time. I’m learning to look through the façade of a self-serving existence and am reminded of what life is really about. I’m learning to be content—with my job, with my possessions, with my bachelorhood, with my future goals, with my station in life. I can feel God’s hand drawing me closer. And all of this is due—in some small part—to the influence Jeff’s friendship has had on me in recent weeks. Thank you, Jeff. Know that your suffering is being used to influence others, as well as yourself. I pray that God will bless you soon for your patience and longsuffering.

I just signed up for the SHAPE workshop at McLean Bible Church. It’s on Saturday, May 8 from 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM. I don’t know… It seems kinda nice to give up a Saturday for something like that.

I think I’ve decided to go back to McLean on Sunday nights. My conscience has been eating away at me ever since I stopped going to church at all on Sundays. The dilemma used to be which church I would go to—Chantilly Presbyterian on Sunday mornings, or McLean Bible on Sunday nights. Both have their pros and cons. But now my dilemma is not going to church at all. …Hopefully that has now changed. I figure—if I can get up early on Sundays for tennis class—then there’s no excuse why I can’t put forth the effort to go to church.

What’s more important than church anyway? What takes precedence for a Christian on Sundays? Sleep? TV? Work? Money? The answer should be… Nothing.

I wish I hadn’t gone out last night. It was the first time I actually got sick from drinking. It was worse than that infamous night in New York. Plus I encouraged someone else to drink more than she initially wanted (well, the whole group did). The reason my tolerance sucked was because I’ve been on Atkins for so long and I hadn’t eaten anything that day since lunch. I thought I was doing alright, but all of a sudden the Vodka hit me really hard. Then I made the mistake of closing my eyes, and that’s when my head really started spinning. I guess on the plus side—because I didn’t have any food in my stomach—all that came out was liquid. All the money I spent throughout the evening ended up on the parking lot of Dr. Dremos (and a tiny bit in Gua Rapos—the club where we hung out). Hopefully, that also meant I didn’t actually consume those carbs (hey, I’m trying to be positive!). I tried to sober up in Dremos, but when I felt sick again, I decided to sit in my car and lean out the door, when needed. The drive home was a little scary. It all seems like a dream now. Man, I have to be smarter than that.

It’s only 11 AM, but I’m already enjoying the day immensely. First of all, it’s “Bring Your Kid to Work Day,” and apparently people around here take it very seriously. There are teenagers, infants and toddlers all over the office today. There’s a couple of little girls running up and down past my cube, laughing and screaming and kicking various objects up and down the hall. This will last all day. And I will keep my humor and laugh to myself every time it happens.

Secondly, the guy who sits across from me (you know, the obnoxious drummer boy, who bangs and shakes his desk & pounds his feet all the time) has moved to some other cube or office—far away from me!!! I’m so happy! Sitting in my cube is now comfortable, like it should be. Maybe that’s why I’m able to put so many overtime hours in these days. (He’s actually been gone for about a week now.) I’m so thankful that fool is gone!

By 7 PM tonight, I will have already racked up 40 hours at work this week. That means all of Friday will be overtime, as will Saturday, should I choose to come in. Even though the money is fantastic—and I want more and more of it—I’ve drawn the line at working on Sundays. It’s bad enough I don’t go to church anymore. I’m not going to break the Sabbath by working.

Starting tomorrow night, I’ll be house-sitting for Roberta. I’ll just be living there for the next week, while she’s in Florida with her sister. I’ll have no way to exercise, but it’ll be easy to stay strict on my diet and catch up on all my unread comics and books. Plus, I get to hang out with her cats again!

Cheryl and Kevin want to get a group together on Friday to hang out in Clarendon. I’ll probably go to that after work. (Come one, come all!) I have no other plans for the weekend, except maybe go to a GMU lacrosse game.

So, I saw The Sounds last night at the 9:30 Club in D.C. And they rocked! I dug the guitar, I dug the drums, I dug the 80’s keyboard, and I really dug the bad-ass hot chick singer. They were totally Blondie, but harder, younger and much cooler. I was disappointed with the laid-back D.C. crowd, because they never get into shows, and I wanted to get down. The Sounds played all their songs off their debut album, plus a couple of new ones that sounded right on. I was standing down by the stage, while Deanne and Pete were up in the balcony. I was trying to scoot my way over to stand beside a couple of cute girls, but at the last second, some big dork rushed in between us. Whatever. After the encore, I followed the girls over to the merchandise stand. They ended up short on cash, so I paid for one of their t-shirts. (Awwww…) I got a great big hug from the shorter one in return. Pete scolded me as we walked back to our car for not getting their digits. I didn’t think they were interested, so I didn’t even try. No biggie. I just like being nice to good-looking girls. Anyway, we all got home late, but I was so glad I went to the show. The Sounds rule.