Matt's birthday and Old Dominion

Matt's 2-day-early birthday dinner was fun. :) We met at the Old Dominion Brewing Company* (and Brewpub and Restaurant), which is cleverly hidden in the back of an industrial complex near Sterling, VA. (Apparently it was originally a brewing company, then a brewpub, then VA law required it be a restaurant if it served alcohol, so it is--but isn't the easiest thing to find.) I also took the Dulles Toll Road for the first time, and it's fortunate that the toll booths were manned--my $20 bill wouldn't satisfy "exact change" for the $0.50 entrance or $0.35 exit tolls. :P

Anyway, the whole family was there, plus Shauna's roommate Jen; conversation before, during, and after dinner ranged from one inappropriate topic to the next--softcore porn, contraceptives, feminine hygiene products, sex mishaps, all kinds of goodness. My family rocks. :D The beer was plentiful and varied--there were at least 15 beers to choose from--so I picked a 4x4oz sampler, selecting New River Pale Ale, Old Dubliner Amber Ale, Siné Amber Ale, and Black and Tan, 4oz each. (I didn't get to any of the lagers or stouts.)

After leaving we drove back to Manassas; I drove Shauna back and we talked of various and sundry; once at my parents' house, we waited for Steph/Matt/Brendan to arrive, along with a cheesecake sampler (2 slices each of 6 different flavors.) Shauna, Jen and I then chatted, played with the kitten at great length, and Shauna played a bit of piano, then we went our separate ways. (And on the way home, I checked on the ferrets, fed/watered/cleaned. Man, four ferrets produce a lot of poop.)

* "don't drink more beer... drink better beer!"
* They have a mailing list!
* They're having their first annual BeerFest in 2004!
* You can order some of their beers by mail in VA!
* "Lunch or Dinner at the pub is great way to start an afternoon or evening flight from Dulles; it will give you the ballast and perspective needed for strip searches, taking off your shoes in public, and all the other dubious joys and true indignities involved in flying these days."
* "We have found that enjoyment of the Old Dominion web site is greatly enhanced by having a glass or bottle of cold Dominion beer nearby, preferably not within spilling distance of your keyboard. (Beer in the keys will not enhance your web, or any other computing, experience;-)"

Trip confirmed!

Post: Canberra, Australia
Duration: 1026 hours of 60hr weeks, or about 4.5mo
When: late November. (Team leader leaves 11/12, the other four a week or two later.
What I'll miss if the trip leaves as planned: Thanksgiving*, birthday, Xmas*, snow.
What I'll get to see: Canberra, probably Sydney and Melbourne.
What I'll be doing: Technical installations--alarms, cameras, sensors, controls, etc.
What I'll make: A good bit of money. :)
-- (You win some, you lose some. :)
What I need to do before then: Far, far too much. It took me all of 20 minutes to set up a 2nd checking account today (for per diem), and now I'll need to automate all my bill/rent/credit payments, unpack/rearrange all my crap that's piled around my room/hallways/kitchen, create animal care sheets for Nathan, maybe get a digital camera, think about getting a laptop (but probably not before this trip), figure out what else I need to do/buy.. eep!

* First ones missed in 24 years.. mom won't be happy. :P

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Happy 25th birthday, arithon! I'll catch up in about a month. :D

That's entertainment.

Dinner: Half of a DiGiornio Deep Dish Pizza
TV: 7th Heaven (very heavy-handed as usual, but a good message), Everwood (suspense and a good story, as it was a "Special" instead of an "angst-ridden tale"--not that that doesn't make a good show, too), and Will & Grace (mostly entertaining as usual, with a very dramatic ending--impressive)
Post-TV: more of Nathan playing Tony Hawk: Underground. I need to see an actual pro skate competition sometime to see what's actually physically possible of all these moves in the game.

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Happy birthday to the weeping_angel!