Team Wet Dog

four days

Four days goes by so fast.

I took off from work on Thursday and Friday, made no plans to leave town and prepared for a relaxing four day weekend. The truth is, I feel sort of run down and tired these days and I was hoping to hit the mental reset button.

Damn, four days goes fast.

Thursday I did as little as possible: cleaned up around the house, watched a bad movie, cooked a good dinner, drank some good wine. I made it to the gym, and went grocery shopping in the 30 minute window when it didn't rain. It was a slow, lazy day; exactly what I wanted.

Friday, I made pizza for lunch, ate at Rays the Steaks for dinner and then met some friends for drinks at the bar formerly known as Irelands Four Provinces. You can check out my quasi-review of Rays at www.TranscendentalSandwich.com ...

Saturday I went to the wedding of a friend. It was an Indian wedding, and so there was much noise, fanfare, dancing and livestock. If you saw a guy on horseback on Saturday afternoon around M St., that was my friend.

Sunday I baked some bread, played pool, watched football and saw the new 007 movie (disappointing).

Looking at that list of what I did over the four days, I'm not sure if it's a  lot or a little. My plan for the weekend was to take it slow and relax, but that doesn't mean sitting on the couch all day. Does it?

The truth is, I've felt out of balance lately. And four days off from work and school isn't going to solve that — the "solution" is holistic, but I think it's tough to do right now. Between school and work I feel rushed and hectic during the week, and somehow trying to "make up for it" on the weekends doesn't work.

I hate to say it, but I think this city is beginning to wear on me. I love D.C., and I've always been the first guy to argue with people who disparage it or compare it unfavourably to other places. But right now, lately, I'm having a hard time squeezing everything in. I don't feel like I have enough time, and I know I don't have enough space. Time and space are two things in short supply for a lot of people in this town, I think.

There's not a short-term fix for this sort of thing. I think it probably requires an overhaul of timing, a re-examination of priorities and a plan to set things straight. How to go about doing that, I'm not entirely sure. What do I want to change, and what can I change?

— Robert

(11/20/06) 
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