Monday, July 30, 2012

Sam Mikulak

So I was at the gym while the mens gymnastics were on. While team USA didn't have the hottest showing, their members were really hot, especially Sam Mikulak. Damnnnnnnn.

Needless to say, my workout got a nice long break...




Yeah, snarl like you mean it


Damn....


That pretty boy smile....

Guys, he's one fine piece.

Oh, and Britain's Max Whitlock is a cutie.



That's it. Santa, I want a gymnist for Christmas. No "but"s

Oh, and congrats to China's mens team for winning gold for a second Olympics. Gotta represent.

JP

Retail Therapy

#ThatMomentWhen I found out that a former acquaintance of mine not only has a private lake behind his house, but a pair of jet skis, a zip line, and ATV to match.

I don't know whether to feel jealous, shocked, or upset I didn't become better friends with him in high school.

Dear lord, I know I'm from a pretty affluent area but hot damn, that's just ridiculous....

___________________________________

Anyways, while I didn't go out a buy myself a lake or ATV, I did do some shopping of my own with some of the money from this summer's work recently and I thought I would share a few.

First, I got myself a Bulova dress watch. I have a thing for watches, almost to the point of a fetish. I have one that I wear every day, one for the gym, and a few different dressier watches for presentations at school and for work. I feel naked without a watch and I've been dreaming of getting a nice one for a few months now. I finally saved up enough money that I felt comfortable buying one.



The dial is pretty dark indoors but a nice charcoal in sunlight. It's pretty modern while being simple enough that it isn't in your face either which I like.

I also got the second suit from a few posts ago. I'm getting it tailored tomorrow. My mom helped cover half of it as an early birthday gift since I'll be abroad by then which I really appreciate. It feels so nice to have a nice wool suit. I've always found guys in suits to be really hot (maybe why I'm in business school? hmmm....) and finally spending a little extra to have a custom fitted one is pretty awesome.

So basically I blew through two paychecks on two items, but I think they were worth it. As shallow as it sounds, sometimes you need to get yourself some pretty things and make yourself feel good.

All the best,

JP

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Bitches Gonna Be Bitches

It's always fun when you find out about something someone else did without them tell you. Usually it's something unsavoury and really bitchy, but you can't do or say anything without exposing yourself.

So here I sit...pondering why someone would be such an ass, yet I have to bite my tongue. Things
like this really tick me off. If you don't like something I did, don't try to subtly clean up the issue by undoing something I did just because you personally don't like it. It's not if  I find out, it's when, and I'll tell you now, I'll probably be pissed to some degree no matter when I find out. So yeah, got a problem? Tell it to my face...at least I won't think lowly of you like I do now.

I never really trusted you anyway. At least you'll be out of my life in less than three weeks.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Music Mix

Fun fact: Ke$ha, no matter how grating and trashy her music is, makes for surprisingly good biking music.

Anyways, here's some of my recent music picks which have been getting played frequently this summer.


Gavin DeGraw - Sweeter



P!nk - Blow Me (One Last Kiss)



Alex Clare - Too Close


Neon Trees - Everybody Talks


Jackson 5 - I Want You Back


If you have any suggestions for more songs I should listen to, please let me know. I have a long bus ride up to New York in a little over a week and I'll need something to entertain myself. People gazing gets kinda boring after a while.

JP

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Suit Up

Usually I'm pretty staunch on buying clothes that look good but also that I can get a really good deal on. Most of my clothes are from H&M or Gap/Banana Republic when their stuff goes on sale since they have a lot of classic pieces which I like. I openly admit that I like to look good, but it's a bonus when I can look good and save money since I'm on a student budget. There are a few things which I do not skimp on though, and those are my dress shirts, watches, and suits. Pretty much since I discovered 1MX shirts at Express I never had looked back, totally worth spending a little extra on. They're just so....well fitted haha. Another thing which I don't mind spending a little more on are watches since I wear one every day and I like to match them with whatever I'm wearing. The last thing I don't want to skimp on however is for a good quality suit.

Since I'm leaving to Copenhagen in a month, I'm considering retiring my old suit and getting myself a new one. I've never really spent too much on a suit before. My last one I bought a year and a half ago  and it wasn't anything special. It got the job done but the fit wasn't spectacular and the material felt kinda cheap. According to my Freshman year international business professor and my study abroad advisor, Europeans aren't nearly as forgiving as Americans when it comes to fit and finish so they recommend getting a good quality suit for business meetings and corporate visits that we would be doing while there.

I've obviously gone suit shopping before but I think I might be ready to take the plunge and drop a few hundred on a nice wool suit. My last few gigs have finally afforded me a decent amount of spending money so now is the best time to take the plunge. I've been browsing the Macy's website and I'm trying to decide between this:

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/kenneth-cole-new-york-suit-black-solid-slim-fit?ID=466041&CategoryID=17788&LinkType=#fn=sp%3D2%26spc%3D182%26ruleId%3D66%26slotId%3D41

or this:

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/bar-iii-suit-separates-black-solid-slim-fit?ID=647667&CategoryID=17788#fn=SUIT_FIT%3DSlimFit%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D70%26ruleId%3D66%26slotId%3D18

or finally, this:

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/calvin-klein-x-suit-grey-pinstripe-peak-lapel-slim-fit?ID=655795&CategoryID=17788&LinkType=#fn=SUIT_FIT%3DSlimFit%26sp%3D2%26spc%3D70%26ruleId%3D66%26slotId%3D57

The first one is pretty simple and versatile. There isn't anything too much to it apart from being a classic black, slim-fit suit. It's almost borderline boring but it's also the most appropriate for most every situation it will go to, whether it be for meetings or dinner.

The second is much more modern and fitted which I personally like. Also, since it is quite fitted, it could mean less tailoring work after I buy it. The only thing I'm not as sure about is that it might not be totally formal enough for all business settings since it is so modern.

The last one is a total steal in terms of price. I'm not quite as positive on how I would feel about a peak lapel, though I should probably try it on before making a final call. Otherwise, it's a really nice, quality suit, and it's grey instead of a full black which I kind of like surprisingly.

Since they are all off the rack, I'm budgeting around an extra $75 or so for tailoring if needed so I can get the fit right in all places. I really want to treat this as an investment more than anything so I want the material to be good, and more importantly, I want the fit to be good. Wear the suit, don't let the suit wear you is how the saying goes I think. While I'll probably never be able to achieve Neal Caffrey like levels of polish, I do want to feel awesome when I suit up. I'm about 5'10" and just over 150 lbs with a slim/athletic build so all of these should fit pretty well.

I want to get some outside opinions so if you don't mind helping a guy out, I promise you one sexual favour redeemable at any time if my suit helps get me a nice job....

....maybe.

JP

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Why Would You Wear That!?

Sorry, but if you're going to be in the Georgetown area of Washington D.C. and going out to lunch at a place where we had to make a reservation to, please, for the love of God, do not wear something that would be inappropriate even for a gym.



It was basically this....I wish I was exaggerating. Nice girl, but Nobody can pull this look off.



That Sinking Feeling

Do you know that horrible feeling when you can just sense something falling apart before your very eyes? Like you're watching an old movie and everything is happening dramatically in slow motion but you already know what the outcome is? It's a terrible feeling which I'm all too familiar with and is happening all over again now.

We were so close just a week ago but now I can see how we're drifting apart. I tried to make an effort to keep things together, but now I realize that it doesn't really work when it's only one of us who is actually trying. If things aren't working out then that's fine. I just wish you had the balls to be frank with me and tell it to my face rather than concoct hollow, meaningless stories you think will hold me off and kick me along like a can down the road. As I said, it's a story which I have heard all too often, and I already know unfortunately how the story ends. It just sucks to actually be part of the story this time.

Merde.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Back to the Grind

Now that it's July, there is only a little over a month until I embark for Copenhagen for my semester abroad so things are slowing getting more exciting here in Virginia. I got my pre-departure packet in the mail detailing everything I need to get done before I board the plane in August. It looks like most of the important paperwork will be done once I arrive there so for now my main problem will be deciding what to pack.

The past few weeks were pretty busy for me. After a few weeks of just being a couch potato I finally got to work earning spending money for Europe. I decided not to go back to my old job in Maryland since I didn't want to commute again and also because the manager changed and is apparently batshit crazy. I firmly believe a good or bad manager can make or break a work experience so I didn't want to mess with that again.

At the end of June I was working with a vendor from San Francisco at the Fancy Food Show at the D.C. Convention Center for a few days. The company was a wholesaler/online business who represented a couple thousand small companies at expos and brought in a couple dozen to display and demo at the show. I helped set up and stuff but during the show itself I got to manage and represent three companies at the stand which was cool. The guys from the San Fran company were also so chill; they were all pretty young and were great to work with. The show covered two floors of the convention center which, if you've never been inside, is a lot of space. When I did walk around and explore, I got to try so much food. I had seared Chilean scallops, bugolgi at the Korea pavilion, quiche at the France pavilion, tons of pasta at Italy's, and all sorts of sweet and savory food from around the world. At the end of each day, we had a happy hour with all the vendors near us. The show itself was open for three days though I worked for five and at the end of it all, I came home with so much free food it was insane. I scored about $250 worth of food and alcohol including two handles of vodka from our stand since we ordered too much and overestimated the happy hour need. In the end, the gig was really awesome. All my coworkers were really cool and the people I was next to and I exchanged info for the next time they were in DC so I could help them when they next to a show.

Yeahhhh buddy.
Working at the show was probably one of the best jobs I've ever had. It was fun, involved food, and had me interacting with hundreds of foodies and business owners and as getting paid $10/hr for it; it was my personal heaven pretty much.

A week after the show ended I started my next gig which I just got off of a few days ago. I worked at a fireworks stand here in NOVA with a few other people, all college aged. I wasn't really looking forward to it quite honestly because the hours were long (42 hours of work in a 72 hour period) and it would be outdoors in 100 degree weather during the period before, during, and after July 4th. My days spanned from 8AM to 11PM in a metal trailer with only a fan, an ipod dock, and the company of my coworkers. Things ended up being pretty good in the end though. My manager was nice but kind of weird. One of the first things she said to me was "Sorry if I complain a lot in the next few days, I'm having boyfriend problems" which didn't really set a good tone. During my few days working with her though, I got to see a veritable soap opera unfold before my eyes. Day one, her boyfriend pretty much dropped off the face of the earth and she was flipping out over it. She talked about how she was the best girlfriend ever and didn't understand why he would leave her but she was not clingy (yeah...right). She even went into really unnecessary details like what she got him for his birthday (six lines of X and an hour long blowjob) and how they would spend hours together. Didn't need to know that? Well, I didn't ask to be told that either. On day two, July 4th, things only got worse when I came out to her and then she kept asking for a gay guy's opinion of what to do, which I'm not terribly good at so that was a lot of stumbling conversation. July 4th in general was a mess since pretty much from when we opened to when we closed, we never stopped and caught a break. People go freaking crazy over fireworks here even though VA law prohibits anything fun or exciting. The next day wasn't much better. It was pretty busy and my manager and her boyfriend ended up breaking up after she went on a stalk mission to his house to find him. Strangely, late on he came to visit the stand and they were all over each other again (!?). After he left she asked my opinion if he was cute (he wasn't) but I said he was anyways for her benefit. It was really awkward.

Despite all the drama with her and her bf and sweating my ass off, the job wasn't too bad. I doubt I will want to work at a fireworks stand again but it did pay decently, I met some pretty funny people, and I got about $70 total in tips which is solid. I'm also pretty good friends with my manager now despite her daytime television life. I told her to keep me updated with her little saga.

So what am I up to now? Well, I just got hired to help out with a new little and local pickle company to help them sell at local farmer's markets. I met the sister of the owner at a farmer's market in DC a few days ago and now they want me to help out for what looks like the rest of the summer until I leave for Europe. If the weather isn't feeling like having another heat wave I think this could be a pretty awesome gig. On top of working, Maria is also finally back from Spain and her friend Tanya from Egypt is also visiting which means we'll probably start going out a lot soon. We've already proposed some plans for clubbing and going out. Tanya also wants to go to a strip club some time after we went out to see Magic Mike this past weekend. I'm not so sure about how I feel about that but maybe I'll warm up to the idea.

All the best,

JP

Monday, July 2, 2012

The Summer Storm From Hell

I learned a few things during this recent storm from hell that hit the DC area a few days ago. They aren't particularlly deep lessons or anything, but entertaining enough to write down. I mean, how often does a storm that knocks out power to over 1 million happen around here? Answer: never. Note: I just got back power maybe two hours ago after going about two days worth without it in 100 degree Virginia-humid weather so you can say I'm quite chuffed.

Lesson 1: Be Careful What You Wish For (or at least be specific)
-When this storm started and the trees outside my kitchen window started hurling themselves around like some of my overly enthusiastic drunk friends, I got excited that we could in fact lose power. I actually like the thrill of things going pitch black and being at the mercy of mother nature mostly because my area never loses power as most of the lines are underground. Well, when the power finally did go out, I broke out the candles and flashlights and felt like a champ. That night, I went to bed to the sweet sound of rain and still strong wind, all content and happy with the world. Now fast forward to two days later where 80+% humidity and 100 degree highs reigned and I'm absolutely miserable. Everything is sticky: the couches, the chairs, the table, and there is absolutely no breeze at night when things cooled down a bit so even sleeping with the windows open did nothing to help. It reached about 88 degrees at its peak inside the house which is bloody miserable. Moral of the story: if you're going to wish the power to go out, include details such as 75-80 degree highs, moderate breezes, and at most for 24 hours.

Lesson 2: Ice
-Fun Fact: when the power goes out, you have about 1 day or so before your frige warms up and less than two before everything in your freezer thaws and is ruined. Moral of the story? If the power goes out, the moment that it's safe to drive and it's before midnight or so: haul ass to the nearest grocery store and get your greedy little fingers on all the effing dry ice or bags of ice you can. I don't care if you have to punch a kitten or sweet old Mrs. Johnson from next door, just go and hoard the stuff unless you want to lose all your perishables. Literally, the next afternoon after the storm ended, all the local grocery stores (and there are 4 within a 10 minutes drive of my house) were out of dry and regular ice. Mind you, this storm hit pretty much just days after a Costco run so we had quite a lot of stuff that needed saving. Unfortunately we were late to strike so a lot of food will probably be sacrified. So wha happens of the power comes back earlier and you have lots of left over ice? Well, make some cocktails or something. Win-win.

Lesson 3: Don't Take Any Modern Convenience For Granted
- Some things I never knew I would miss so badly until they were forceably ripped from my hands: air conditioning, the fridge, television, home phone (we have fios so no real land-line), charged laptops, fans, the ice maker, the microwave, wifi, the printer, lights, and more air conditioning. I have never been more happy to stand outside and hear the background humming of dozens of household air conditioners running at the same time.

Lesson 4: My Inner 5 Year-Old Comes Out When I'm Bored
-Not really a lesson but more of an observation - Since I was internetless, and pretty much my life revolves around it nowadays, I revert back to my elementary school roots to pass the time. One night I found a bottle of bubble solution and I ended up just hooking up my ipod to my car stereo and blowing bubbles for an hour while sitting on the trunk of my car. Good stuff. I also spent my days doing word searches, sketching, and rolling around on the floor with my dog. See? 5 year old.

Lesson 5: I Start Craving Salad When It's Hot
-Once again, more of an observation than a lesson but I ate more salads in the past two days than I had in the past two months. They were quite tasty salads though, I must say.

Lesson 6: Driver Licensing Laws Are Way Too Easy
-Not news to me or many people for that matter but it's worth saying. When street lights stop working, we've all been told to treat intersections as 4-way stops. Someone (meaning almost everyone), didn't get the memo apparentely since I saw nearly 5 near crashes at major intersections because people decided they were king of the road and barrell through an intersection without stopping or bothering to look at other drivers. The icing on the cake for me however when it comes to bad driving is seeing a guy in an SUV driving INTO a massive fallen tree branch that was blocking the right lane with his SUV. I think he figured he would just plow through it since he had a massive truck but nope, Mother Nature bitch slapped him in the face and made him swerve onto the sidewalk and through a chain link fence before coming to a stop. It was quite funny to be honest.

So hooray for the power being back and for my house slowly cooling down to a beautiful, low humidity 75 degrees. I got a taste of what living in the 19th century must have felt like, and I don't intend to ever try that out again.

All the best,

JP