Time tells all

It's been many a moon since I've recorded any stories of debauchery. I spent one year living in the Washington, D.C. metro area after graduating with a BA in Foreign Language (French) from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA in 2011. I moved up to Reston, VA and worked in Herndon, VA near Dulles Airport for 5 months and later left to work in Alexandria for almost a year before losing my job at the hotel where I was working when it was sold to be converted into apartments. In January of 2013 I met Jimmy, who I have been with ever since. We took turns spending each night at each others' places in Alexandria until I took the liberty of slowly moving most of by belongings into his place after a couple of months. It was comfortable. With weekends in downtown DC and walking to Freddie's Beach Bar in Arlington (gay bar) regularly, we had some good times. Jimmy and I hit it off and I am happy to call him my best friend. He found a job in Richmond, VA by happenstance and when asked, I told him, "Go for it!" thinking it would be great to be in an area with a lower cost of living, also closer to both of our families. Jimmy started working in Richmond in June 2013 and I vowed to make the plunge and move south with him. We packed up both of our places and left in July of 2013. All of our belongings were moved to Richmond and we signed a lease at an apartment while house hunting. I started looking for work in Richmond in May and it is now the end of December. I've had final interviews with three hotels and no luck so far but have recently revisited with one of the three and am waiting to hear back regarding a new opportunity. I worked a part time position in Arlington and have been commuting up until recently... the details are all trivial. The point is, I told Jimmy to take the job, not realizing how long it would take me to find work in Richmond. The opportunities are much more difficult to come by and it hasn't been the cakewalk I had imagined. Here I am, working a part time retail job which I actually love, and have not yet found a stable 9-5 day job, but that's fine. I'm watching my spending and have saved enough to keep me stable for now. I have definitely changed my wicked ways, but I must say,  I do miss them. It's been almost a year with Jimmy, and my regular release has been late night dancing with my Hungarian friend Krisztian up in Northern Virginia. We've been best friends since I first moved up back in summer of 2012. I didn't know anyone and met Krisztian shortly after moving. Every Friday night we went to hear his Hungarian friend DJ at a local bar. I've learned a small vocabulary of Hungarian and am quite proud of my learnings.

Living in Richmond has been a great thing. The people are much nicer, but I feel much more sheltered in a way. There isn't the diversity of the D.C. area, and the small scene leads certain people to think they're much more important than they actually are, especially on the D.C. scale of things. Nothing is too serious, but it's a nice break from the straining reality of D.C. living. I didn't live downtown, but people have the same attitude throughout. The D.C. clubs are not places where you could actually meet people. They're the most anti-social places I've ever been in my experience. Richmond has offered a slower pace of life, and a couple great friends like Garry and Craig and Jeremy. I'll explain more later I'm sure, but for now, I'm just trying to cover the basics.

So Jimmy and I have had our very first Christmas. As if this were a huge accomplishment (which it is), a greater one has been made. Jimmy and I have purchased a home. Not just any home, but one that requires a great deal of restoring. We've purchased a home in Richmond built in 1922. It didn't have central heat or air. The knob and tube wiring had to be completely redone and the one bathroom in the 2,200 sq. ft. house simply wouldn't do. We're redoing everything. It's not a total gut job, but not far from it. Jimmy and I have spent plenty of weekends restoring the original mantles, and doing demolition work. A new roof has been put on, plumbing run, and new electrical is currently being installed. It's a rewarding process. They anticipate being finished in a month or so. We'll see. We closed  at the beginning of November and should be in by the beginning of February. It will take forever I'm sure.

I've found a new home bar most importantly. Barcode. That's the name. It's the Richmond gay bar that's the most down-to-earth. It's the daddy bar. It's the informal bar. It's the place with the strong cheap drinks and the best bartenders. I can't complain about any of it. I love it. The people are good and we've met a lot of great people there. I'll tell you more later. Stay tuned.