splooge

Today equaled unproductivity at its best. I worked for two hours this morning, then drove out to Pasadena with my boss for lunch with another architect whose two interns are fellow classmates. I feel lucky because my boss is, in my humble opinion, a more interesting person (architect?) with less passive-aggressive tendencies, and to put an irrelevant spin on it, better-looking too. He doesn't have the amount of work this other dude does but I like his style more anyway. uh huh...

Then we come back to the office and the others have uncorked a few bottles of wine... my first time having a bit of 'Turley' which is smooth and wonderfully drinkable... at $50 a bottle it's probably one of the nicest wines I've ever had. The asian glow sets in and everyone laughs at me, and since I'm terrible at holding my alcohol I stop and drink water instead. Then I listen to these old dudes (not OLD, but relatively) talk about how the profession's going down the tubes, how the business model is so fucked up, how the US entry for the Shanghai Expo is utter shit (and not even designed by an American!) and then there's a pause and I just utter "Fuck." They laugh and one of them pats me on the back and I say Jeez I have a year and a half left and what the fuck I have to finish but this is what I'm getting into?

I talk to my boss about the fear that has set in, how I feel dumb and ignorant when listening to architects architecting. I get back to work, then talk a little more, say something like I wish we'd gotten high instead of tipsy and he laughs. I shake off the feeling, I pack up my things, I get ready to go. I leave, I walk to my car, I find my first parking ticket ever. Sixty bucks. Fuck it, I'm gonna pay it. It's like I paid the day for not getting any work done. Does that even make sense? No matter. I came home, had corned beef, cabbage and potatoes for dinner, I'm packing for SF, and getting out of here for a weekend. Take everything with a grain of salt, and appreciate what you've got.