Traditions

so i had a reflective, pensive, and fairly depressing post written while i was sitting in the sardine can of a plane on my way over to shanghai, but i've decided not to post that one. instead, after having settled my tired legs, rested the mind a bit, and consumed copious amounts of delicious foods, my mentality has shifted slightly.

yes...i'm still a little bummed that this year, unlike the recent years, i am not visiting shanghai while leaving a part of me at home. though not carrying that guilt is freeing, there is still a void to be filled.

but enough of the weepies...its a new experience to share this trip with my family and friends that i have made over the years, and an old friend that seems to tag along with me wherever i go (i'm looking at you kevin!). since this trip is still in its nascent phase, there have not been many pictures to post or stories to tell, though i'm sure those will be forthcoming. so in the mean time, i hope everyone had a great christmas wherever they were and that their holidays are spent merrily amongst family and friends.

Overdue Update

at the request of my singular reader, i have returned to the blogosphere to update my neglected home in cyberspace. i do apologize for my lack of attention, i have been preoccupied by...what's that word that is used to describe the world outside the netizen existence...real life.

i think i've come to a realization these past few weeks, i don't think i'm one of those people who can be married to their jobs or to anything people are normally attached to. i don't find school all too stimulating...i enjoy the work i do and the potential it holds, but i don't live and die by it...i don't hang on every word or announcement of obama anymore...and i find the things i look forward to are all trivial, drinking on the weekends and watching the rise and falls of my fantasy football team (yeah, 4 game win streak to get into the playoffs).

i'll attribute this mentality to my unofficial, but well-documented case of a.d.d. but i wonder if this little issue will hinder my ability to continue to "fake it until i make it"...cuz sooner, i'm actually going to have to be good at my job and i'm afraid i'll have looked back on my years and realized i don't know shit. even as i write this, my concerns are again washed away and lost in my distractions as i fiddle around with my blackberry and little strings that hang off my sweater.

i was recently told that i was such an optimist...i wonder if that's because i actually believe that there is always some sort of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel; or that i'm just too lazy to find complications and would much rather just go with the flow. but i guess either way, my somewhat de-cluttered mind has kept me afloat through all the good and the bad times throughout this year...and as this year whiddles down to a few days, i'm sure this mentality will keep me sane through the next 365.

Extreme Cuteness

be careful...this one might just be an overdose

Thanksgiving 2008

keeping with tradition, kevin and i hosted our pre-thanksgiving holiday feast. typically, this meal is a chance for friends to gather and enjoy each others company in a nice holiday setting before everyone scattered to their respective homes.

maybe its my slowing metabolism, my chronic laziness, the lack of gym time in my schedule, or the growing amounts of liquor i have been consuming...but i have recently added a little extra plushiness to my waistline. normally, i'd be disgusted at my gluttony, but its thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year (and yes, only because of the food).

so to indulge ourselves, we had a nice gathering with a LOT of food...turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, ribeye with gorganzola cream sauce, pork chops and apples with bourbon glaze, tossed salad with homemade pomegranate citrus dressing, mac n cheese, african chicken and rice stew, candied yams, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and lots of cornbread with honey butter...and desserts of pumpkin cheesecake, layer chocolate pistachio cake, and pecan tarts.

if that hasn't got your mouth salivating yet...you can just look at these.

delicious...

Fame

after 24 years of life, experiences in many foreign lands, life stories from all walks, i have finally made it to the big time...i made it to the realm of jon stewart, bart simpson, josh lyman, and ari gold...i made it to television.

for those of you who would like to now join my entourage, please apply via the comment box.

yes, my friends, i have been featured (and when i say featured, i mean the camera panned over me while i was leaning against a wall at my boss's press conference) on c-span. for those of you outside the beltway, c-span is the network that covers congress and the rest of the government.

why was i given this golden opportunity to break the minority mold in television? contrary to previous understandings, i did not come to dc to open a shoe store (it was merely a side venture). i came here for the betterment of society, to improve the lives of millions, to make a difference...this is where you all decide to move out of the country.

but the past few weeks has been dedicated to producing my boss's vision for health care reform and the future of that endeavor. it was a massive project and a bold movement...it required hours of dedication, gallons of coffee, countless missed meals, and tireless execution to produce this 90 page document...and while the health team of the senate finance committee laboriously and amazingly produced this work, i enjoyed my weekends, hour and half lunches, and midday naps. so accordingly, i will take all the credit.

but in all honestly, for those who don't believe that i do work...here is the result of the many hours all of put into, your tax dollars at work.