dipping and twirling

[jay]

After a frustrating morning of tests -- the Georgia Tech and Honeybee guys weren't cooperating, and the network in the building was down -- things began to click and I excused myself and headed to DC. Not before I ducked out for a half-hour at one point and bought coffee beans for patgreene near NYU.

The flight was upgraded and uneventful, I napped, and then got lost only once trying to find my hotel. I'm at the downtown Ritz-Carlton, not one of my usual overnights (I usually try to get something on the Virginia side). My door lock jammed... they had to call maintenance... couldn't get me in, so they put me in a different, bigger room... one of three rooms comprising their "West Wing Suite" (with nods towards therealjae, if she reads ;). Fairly opulent... lots of brocade and marble, a separate bathtub with a waterproof pillow (?), walk-in closet... etc. Pity I have it all to myself.

Tonight I drove west to Fairfax and had a lovely date with geekchick... we have both had difficult weeks, so I followed elissaann's advice from yesterday and proposed something playful. Fondue, which I'd never had before. Both with melted Swiss cheese in wine, and later dipping and twirling various meats and vegetable pieces in a boiling broth. Good conversational food, and we opened up and each talked about our past and our relations with our parents, among topics. Then came back and cuddled on the couch while watching nminusone play DDR... I felt more grounded and generally more relaxed by the time I left.

Tomorrow... 9am meeting with FAA security office folks about air traffic surveillance data, then back home.

Comments

[geekchick]

That was an excellent suggestion (going to the fondue place) and we should definitely do that again. Once I can remotely contemplate food again. ;)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I actually owe the suggestion to Nancy and Elissa, some time ago. And it worked out well, other than I'd intended to try to feed you things ;).

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

yay!

I have had a couple of reasons to comperse with sweeties over the past week, and now you have given me another one. I wanted to make sure that you knew that...sounds like you had a really lovely, fun, and supportive evening. It is really somewhat odd that geekchick, patgreene and I have five deceased parents between the three of us, but it means that you have a wealth of resources for support and understanding. Glad to hear that you got back to the hotel feeling relaxed and grounded. I am *so* not cut out for a job that requires cross-country travel, and I am thankful that it doesn't stress you the way it would stress me *and* that you've got friends and sweeties to make the travel more fun and more homey.

(kiss)

(fever seems to be going down a bit...it was 99.7 earlier)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

I actually like wandering around and travelling, and do it well, so it is a good thing that it is a part of my job -- rather than something to necessarily endured, I usually embrace it. Besides, it makes LDRs much easier to maintain if I'm seeing the remote partner(s) every month or two...

And thanks for offering support. I'll call upon it as things get tougher...

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

Most of my adult life, I have had both a dog that I was responsible for, and a partner who wouldn't do any housework, cooking, or laundry in my absence. Those add a burden to travel. And a lot of the work-related travel I have done involved working 12-20 hour days, which means I have seen very little of the cities I have visited (I originally typed "hotels" rather than "cities", which I think may have actually been a more accurate description).

As for the support, just know that it is there. And that you have multiple sources of it. (hugs). One of the possible benefits of being in a newer relationship is that I haven't heard most of the stories you might tell about your dad, and I also don't have any experiences of him myself that might interfere with me hearing the stories through your eyes. Feel free to take advantage of that as you wish.

(hugs)

[archway.livejournal.com]

Let's hear it for hedonism!!! Yay!~BG~

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

(grin) I needed a hedonistic counter-note to the week's otherwise-dreary news... not just family, but NASA is going to have layoffs beginning in about a year.

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

yay for Fondue. There's a fondue place in Berkeley I've been to on many any occasion.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Lunch, sometime? Or dinner, if you can find a free evening sometime... (smile)

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

Are you thinking of the one near Tienda Ho?

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Well, sorta. Fondue Fred's. Haven't been there in years though, and I've been told it's not as good as it used to be. Do you have other suggestions?

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

No, just that the idea of fondue plus Tienda Ho seemed like a Dawn-indulgent sort of combo. I actually haven't had fondue at any other restaurant, ever.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Hmm... indulging dawnd would be a good thing, in general...

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad that you both had a good time. It sounded whhen I talked to you earlier that you both could use it.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

It was good for both geekchick and myself, I think, both separately and as a dyad :).