Excess

as august winds to a close, so does my month of indulgence and excess. not once before had i thrown way so much prudence to ensure that i enjoyed my brief hiatus from the breakneck atmosphere of capitol hill. having endured months of endless hours and interminable days, i relished the idleness of august recess and reveled in the laxness of summer office hours.

with the context settled, i can remember upon the many moments where i chose comfort over practicality, luxury over caution, and self-indulgence over reservation. from enjoying a couple of high quality cocktails at the gibson to a fresh set of egyptian cotten sheets to several delectable meals to a weekend of immoderation in vegas, i had excess funds and time and i lapped them up.

apologies for not having described my opulent vegas experience in a more timely fashion, but i was distracted by my other vice...eating. as it was restaurant week, i again allowed myself to indulge in the grandeur of master chefs and edible works of art. with my eating partners in tow, ting and i marched into adour and siroc while theresa and i brunched at blacksalt.


but not to distract from the initial intent of this posting, a brief recap of a great weekend. despite being a captive of the jetblue terminal of jfk, there was little to complain about. not being a neophyte to vegas, i am less enamored with the glitz and the excess of vegas, but this trip definitely set a new mark. i have always enjoyed vegas in the context of a college student, stretching dollars by cramming scores of people into tiny rooms and pre-partying with shots poured into paper cups and clubbing in the midst of hundreds of others on a dance floor. and i've always had fun...but this was different, this was vegas done right.

although the housing situation still missed the spot (as there were fiscal constraints beyond my control), the rest of the trip met my laughable "baller" standard. but it did include all the extra amenities...table service at the mix lounge and body english, buffet at the wynn, limo rides, and the ability to disregard any restraint at the tables (to an extent...i, after all, didn't win the lottery prior to the trip). but to finally be able to spend a few extra dollars to truly enjoy the luxuries vegas is known for and not feel the immediate fiduciary gag reflex was a relief not felt before...and i definitely delighted in that opportunity.

but beyond my own self-accomplishment and indulgence, i was happier still to know my friends...many vegas virgins...had a great time themselves. happiness is always exponentially expansive if it is shared with others...and my ten friends definitely compounded the festivities of an already exuberant weekend.

so as the final hours of august recede and the work period of september creeps up, i can only reminisce and recollect on the memories...but i will continue to ponder and predict the appeasement of my next craving, whatever it may be.

Grounded

on what i can only hope is fate testing my resilience and ridding me of any bad luck that may come my way this weekend, i am stuck at jfk international airport. i've seen plenty of movies and remember numerous news stories about being stranded that i'm surprised it has taken so long fir this particular situation to happen to me, considering how many planes and airports i've been in. but now that I'm in it, it totally sucks. instead of the glamor found in tom hanks' "the arrival", i find angry customers also left behind due to circumstances beyond our control and less-than-helpful airport employees unwilling to sneak me a plate of food or even secrets of the attractive flight attendant on her layover.

as i endure the next few hours of my grounding, i can only take solace that as uncomfortable these benches are and how annoying this pesky fly can be, i CHOSE to do this as opposed to the millions who everyday sleep on whatever street corner they can find. at least tomorrow, i'll be on a plane headed toward vegas and the lap of luxury. so in perspective, i'm not all that bad.

Flashback

i probably wouldn't have found this so amusing had i not been able to relate to this young asian kid's vest for the taboo...or 'tittays' as this kid so eloquently puts it. there is a comedy here, as i can probably accurately predict this kid's entire social and familial situation. he's that pre-teen asian kid coming from a first-generation family, who's undoubtedly enrolled in math tutor session in addition piano and violin lessons, with parents holding onto the reins so tight that discovering choice images of vanessa hudgens naked will help develop this young man's appreciation for the female form.

what i find amusing is that in a decade of growth, the only thing that has changed from when that young child was me is the medium in which we can sneak peeks at the forbidden or steal snapshots at the unknown. and equally entertaining is the distribution of these fruits...transformed from the days of covertly slipping the playboy to your friend behind the bleachers to now possessing the concept of 'going viral'.

so to this kid, and future generations of our kind, i say this...enjoy the bliss of youth while you can because in a blink of an eye, you'll look in the mirror and see a up and coming young professional who's exterior is built for public consumption but who still holds on that little chinese kid inside.

The People

undoubtedly, you have all seen or read or heard (better not have participated) in these protests at town halls. i make it a point not to partake in any news coverage or listen to pundits analyze the situations as it would only result in anger and possibly a broken tv as my remote will be hurtled at it.

but this image basically sums up how i feel about this summer of whining:

Recess

after many months of 60+ hours weeks, roller coaster days of political jostling, and endless meetings of attrition with our republican counterparts...it is finally recess here on the hill.

as our members left washington without a health reform bill out of committee, they went home to face angry mobs screaming about death panels...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Healther Skelter
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Spinal Tap Performance

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Death Panels
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Meryl Streep

...and medicare benies telling government to get out of their health care, us lowly staffers got to enjoy some time to ourselves. our lives have finally returned to some semblance of normalcy, if only for the dregs of august. but speaking as one of those individuals who has lost all friends and social life to late night briefings and arguments with lobbyists, i look forward to leaving the office early enough to see the sun, to sit at happy hours, and to actually venture away from the city (vegas in 8 days!).

so as the days wear on, i urge time to slow just a bit more so i can enjoy a few more moments of peace and relative tranquility before congress returns to their politico bubble...before the health reform debate resumes full force...before we see if our work the past year will bear the fruits of our labor. so before all that happens, let me enjoy a few more weekends in the vineyards of virginia, or on the golf courses of maryland, or just at the bars of dc...just let me live.