Summer Fun on the way

The new job: This has been a very odd year as both of us switched jobs within weeks of each other. Doing so has been a bit more stressful than I thought but I am sure we made the right decisions. Amy is now a Federal Civilian and I switched to another ‘beltway bandit’. An odd observation about my new place is that they refer to themselves as ‘the firm’. When I say ‘the firm’ I do mean ‘The Firm’. They say it with the gravity of a John Grissam novel. We are both putting in extra hours to overcome our learning curves in culture and activity.

We are still searching for a house: The search has not been easy, for the waves of foreclosures never really hit DC. As opposed to Detroit where I hear 1 in 4 homes is either for sale or vacant. Sometimes the search can be very frustrating, and other times when we can take a step back it is a little humorous. We have made appointments to view houses, only to be informed while en route for a viewing, that the house was sold. Other times we are knocking on the door and the current short-sellers will not let us in to view; I guess they would rather remain as squatters. Ideally we are looking for a contemporary home that would be a relatively easy commute for both of us. While there are opportunities, many of the house styles have just not agreed with us. I know something will turn up we just need to remain positive and keep looking.

The upcoming wedding: It is less than four months away from when we get married! Certainly an exciting time for us and we are making the final arrangements. It is going to be a small 50 person beach wedding due to site restrictions. I look forward to the intimacy of it although sometimes I wish we could have invited everybody.

On DC celebrity: Back in 2001 I remember when all the cashiers at Home Depot were chirping away excitedly during one of my visits. I had just missed catching General Colin Powell being in line by a matter of minutes. Last week, President Obama stopped by my favorite hamburger stand, Ray’s Hellburger in Rosslyn and I had missed him by a day! One of these days I’ll catch the Clintons at the shisha place.

Training: I’m planning to take the CISSP exam later this year. Anybody have resources they recommend? I’m also considering taking an internet course on becoming a realtor so I can so my own house flipping without involving a third party.

Big Damn Films: In early April Amy and I were cast as extras in a film that is set in the Firefly universe. The film, Redemption, is being produced by Big Damn Films, with the premier scheduled for this year’s DragonCon in Atlanta Georgia. Go check out the film’s website at http://browncoatsmovie.com/

Spear and Magic Helmet: Last week we went to see 'Siegfried' at the Washington Opera. This is the follow up opera to Die Walküre (The Valkyrie). We got a seat upgrade to the fifth row after Act 1. An older distinguished gentleman had to leave early and gave us the seats reserved for his wife and him. Score! I suspect it was because we were excitedly chatting away about Wagner's use of leitmotif the second the lights came up. Actually Amy was talking about leitmotif I was wondering what the Fafnur the dragon would look like and just nodding along. The new seats placed us as the youngest people in a 20 row radius, not including the stage.