Work, good food, and music

I’ve been pretty busy at work lately, which, since I still have no computer at home, has kept me from doing as much blogging as I would like.

At work, I’ve been putting together a couple of federal government proposals. We don’t typically go after government projects, because they’re slow-moving and full of bureaucratic red tape. But once they’ve been set in motion, they’re much more stable than the projects for private, not-for-profit clients that we usually take on. And with the economy continuing to tank, stability is a good thing. I’m not very experienced (or very skilled) at using these standard forms yet, but I’m learning.

I’ve been trying to schedule dinners/happy hours with friends lately. This is a great way to casually catch up, but I’m finding it’s tough to work around everyone’s schedule. It’s also a little disheartening that no one else seems to care enough to make an effort to plan anything, even among close friends.

My roommate Dave’s band had a concert last week at a bar on U St. Very cool. The venue was pretty intimate, and it was really loud. They went on much later than they originally thought, but sounded great regardless. I think it’s kind of cool that all of my roommates are so musically talented. Makes me kind of jealous, though, that I can’t sing and haven’t played an instrument since elementary school. Anyway, you should check out Dave’s band, Your Majesty, here.

I’d like to try to devote more of my “fun” money to eating out at nice(ish) restaurants. Joe and I have tried out a couple tasty restaurants lately – a small Thai place in Woodley Park and Mama Ayeesha’s, a Lebanese place in Adams Morgan (both before drinking heavily at a bar, eating jumbo slice pizza, and paying for a cab ride home). Sitting down for a good meal is fun, and even though it’s a little expensive, when I look at some of the other things I spend money on, I think I can try to fit it into my budget (and maybe cut down on things like drinking, pizza, and cabs).

After watching the Terps dominate a must-win game against Virginia Tech, my roommates and I made jambalaya this past Saturday, Valentine’s Day. Then we enjoyed some organic beverages and ate some cookies with pink sprinkles and called it a night.