Sweet Home...Baltimore?!

Yeah, that just doesn't have the same ring to it, now does it? Even so, one of the perks to working in the Inner Harbor is the chance that random events just pop up...like maybe a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in front of the Barnes and Noble! The concert started around 7:30, so I got to rock out as I worked tonight. Here are some pictures from the balcony of my office. A bit grainy, but I think the guys in the band are pretty old and crusty, so a close-up shot probably wouldn't look much better...

What a Weekend!

Work has been fairly uneventful lately. I really can't complain since my client base consists of clients that I have either had a lot of experience with or am very interested in and also are comprised of a pretty stacked EY team. The only news there is that my friend is leaving to try being a stay at home mom, which makes me sad and happy at the same time. I really like being able to chat with her in the office or online and working with her, but at the same time, I know I'll keep in touch with her. And more importantly, she's doing what's best for her family and especially her son.

This weekend was pretty fun, between David's wedding and the Ravens game. Saturday started with a short jog (knees are not cooperating much these days) and then cleaning up and getting ready for my cousin's big fat Chinese wedding. David's my almost-twin and the cousin that I was closest to growing up. He and I share the exact same birthday, and I am just 2 hours older than him. Since we are Chinese-American, that basically means we have been competing with each other since birth, and I rather think that I am slightly resented for having beaten him out of the womb. David's done pretty well for himself, and he seemed to have a real turnaround in terms of being at peace with himself after college. He became a devout Christian, which is how he met his wife. They seem to balance each other out, since Christine is really mellow and agreeable, and David's a little more outgoing and active.

The ceremony was a bit longer than the others I've been to recently due to all of the hymns and readings. The pastor also talked a lot about how the wife should submit to the husband and it was up to David to make all the decisions. I was sitting next to my Aunt Tai, and the two of us were pretty much scoffing at every mention of this...we were taught to give orders, not take them. After the exchange of the rings, David and Christine spoke to their parents and thanked them for their support. David had the whole crowd in tears because he tried to keep it together when he presented his parents with their gift and thanked them for sacrificing so much to give him the best. He had to stop a few times to keep his tears in check, and it took his Uncle Raymond saying, "It's ok David, jia you" for him to keep going. Jia you is Chinese for go (as in Go David, or Go Redskins!), so that got a few chuckles and he managed to get the words out before breaking down as he hugged his parents. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, our family does not openly show emotion. Encouragement and the words I Love You are not spoken unless in moments of extreme duress. I think a lot of the non-Chinese people in attendance were a little surprised that David had such a hard time saying it, but you have to understand that he just unleashed 29 years worth of emotion.

After the ceremony, we headed to the reception at the restaurant where Christine's dad is a chef. They had a Chinese banquet, which is about 10 courses. Mel and I were seated at the singles table, along with some of Christine's cousin. Her guitar-playing cousin wasn't there because his band is currently on tour, but I did meet his older brother Gary. He was pretty cool and at least I had a drinking buddy for the evening (since he and I basically polished off both the bottle of champagne and the merlot). It was a pretty good time, and David and Christine looked genuinely happy, so that was what mattered most at the end of the day. The only other thing I'll mention is that it's really, really, really weird to see someone you've known since birth kissing in public. It's definitely a car-crash kind of moment...you feel like you shouldn't look but it's so disturbing/surreal that you just can't help it.

Today was all about recovery. Recovery from 5 glasses of wine last night. Recovery from a 5.5 mile run that felt like 50 miles when my left knee locked up again. And now recovery from another atrocious week of fantasy football (hopefully Kotter's team is just that much worse and will hand me the win). The Ravens game, however, was a nice break this afternoon. I was pretty happy that Tom offered me the ticket, and Anne and Ryan were there too, and they're always a good time. Aside from Landry's serious injury (hope he's ok), the Ravens tore it up on the field and had a stellar day on defense. This was my first regular season NFL game, so I'll have to re-think going to FedEx Field and giving Mr. Snyder some of my cash. These games are intense, and if I was that into it with a team that I'm not really all that concerned about, it should be even better with my beloved (yet often disappointing) Redskins.

So, a few final thoughts on the events of this week. First, I'm pretty content with my job and career choice. I like the work, I've been able to work on the jobs I want to work on, and I love the people I work with. Next, I should never, ever put money on my fantasy football team...I think a blind chimp could pick a better squad by flinging poo at a player list. And lastly, I have to give my mom more credit and not be as defensive when I talk to her. David's very emotional speech at the wedding made me realize that if I were to ever get married, I would not be able to say those things without blubbering either. My parents really have done so much for Mel and me. Whether we want to admit it or not, what we have accomplished so far is the direct result of their guidance. There is one other thing that my mom did that was somewhat surprising. It was a fairly innocent comment, but it was surprisingly restrained for her. She asked me how I would like to do my wedding, and we had a brief conversation at the end of which she said it was important to wait for the right person. It was rather tactfully stated - my mom is more blunt (like me) and I would have expected her to say something like when are you going to get married...and why aren't you trying harder to find someone? For most of my life, I have been conditioned to regard anything my mom says as an attack, so I literally brace for impact and then fire right back. The fact that we were able to talk about something personal in a pretty supportive manner was a big change for us. Hopefully that's a good sign for things to come.

Panic Attack

This week started out pretty smoothly, with a 5k run and a lot of football watching on Sunday before I drove up to Philly to finish out the 3rd week of my teaching rotation obligation. Class went fairly smoothly on Monday, and the staff were pretty engaged throughout, which was promising. A bunch of the Baltimore folks and my co-leader from Toronto went to El Vez for dinner. It was good, but I rather think that $30 for a guacamole sampler (3 different kinds) is a bit much. It was tasty and included ingredients that probably had no business mingling with avocado, but somehow it all worked.

Then around midnight, things went south. I was in my hotel room working and noticed that my phone was blinking. I checked the voicemail that was left and found out that it was the Brinks alarm company calling to say that the alarm had gone off just before midnight and that no one responded to the call they placed to my house. My sister had moved in just a few weeks ago, so I assumed that she was home. Things escalated to crisis mode when I got a call from my frantic mother about 2 minutes later saying that Brinks had also called her to say that the Howard County police were on their way to my house to investigate since no one responded on the house phone. My mind quickly went to some dark places when I tried calling her cell phone several times with no response. Images from all manner of horror films came to my mind, but all with the same result of my baby sister lying on the floor badly hurt or worse. I told my mom to stop calling my sister's cell since we might be blocking each other, so I kept trying for a good 15 minutes. That was an absolute eternity given the situation, and at one point I asked the police to stay at the house until my sister was found. I finally got through to her just after midnight, and I immediately launched into an interrogation of where she was, if she had seen anything, if she was ok. She was at school to meet up with some friends, and I guess the alarm system had a short somewhere that caused the whole problem since she (and the HoCo police confirmed) that the doors were closed as they should have been. Still, I was completely frazzled and pretty much screamed at her asking why the hell she was going out at midnight and not answering her phone when she had probably a dozen calls from me and maybe another dozen from mom at that time of night.

I called Mel tonight to apologize for freaking out at her on the phone yesterday, so I hope she feels a little better about it. My family does not show affection, EVER, so I don't think I could ever tell my sister that I love her, but I can honestly say that I worry about her constantly and would do anything to keep her safe. Hopefully she understands that.

Auditor 1, Burrito 0

The Labor Day weekend provided a nice break from work. I ran a bunch of errands and cleaned up around the house for most of the weekend and also got to catch up on some sleep. Saturday was fun since I got to try out a new recipe that turned out pretty well...fruit tarts are now going to be part of the dessert menu. I took some to Anne and Ryan's barbecue on Sunday, which was a lot of fun, although I cut out fairly early to finish the last couple loads of laundry and pack for the trip to Tucson.

The flight was uneventful and I made it to the hotel around noon. The work is going really well, and the guys might be able to leave here earlier than expected. Since this is my last night in Tucson, I figured we ought to check out El Charro Cafe downtown, which is supposed to be the oldest Mexican restaurant in the country. It's about 80 years old, so they must be doing something right. What was supposed to be a 15 minute drive became closer to 45 minutes, thanks to a completely useless GPS system (when the system tells you to take every possible off ramp in a jug handle, there's probably something wrong). We eventually made it to the cafe, and it was a quaint little restaurant. They brought out chips and salsa, and we ordered fresh guacamole to share for the appetizer, then Jeff and I each ordered reasonable entrees (all of which was terrific). Now here's where it gets interesting. My other coworker, let's call him "Ben," ordered something he called the USA Today, which the menu touted as being one of the 50 best Mexican dishes ever according to that newspaper. The waiter also pointed out that the dish (excluding the sides) is the size of a rolled up newspaper. He gave Ben a look of "good luck, buddy" and told him that he'd very rarely seen anyone finish the whole thing. Oh, ye of little faith.

The USA Today special (not its real name, but you get the picture) is really a ginormous fried burrito stuffed with meat, then topped with what looked like a generous ladle of guacamole, salsa, and perhaps enough side salad to cover my whole backyard (granted, not that big, but still a jungle on a plate). That's in addition to the beans and rice that didn't even fit on the plate. The waiter brought out our meals and we tucked into the food right away, but not before the guy asked Ben if he should just go ahead and bring out the box for leftovers. Jeff and I stopped the guy and said, "You obviously have never seen this guy eat." Less than 30 minutes later, the newspaper/burrito abomination was demolished, Ben was looking pleased with himself, and the waiter was appalled/astonished. I asked him how many people he's seen pull off that feat, and he told us about the last one that he saw. A week ago, he said some really smelly guy, reeking of pot, came in and finished off 2 servings of chips and salsa and the monster burrito plus all the sides in one sitting. I told Ben that his accomplishment was more impressive, since he finished off the dish without having a killer case of the munchies. So, he'd done it clean...no doping involved (haha! Get it -doping?).

There are some days where I can't imagine doing any other kind of work or working with people as great as the ones I get to work with now. This is one of those days.