Busy | Fr 12/2

I got okay sleep last night, mostly because I could wake up later since I decided not to go into the office, but I had trouble falling asleep. I want to wean off of naps and try getting better sleep, but hopefully I can get to bed at better times during the week.

Jinn wanted to call and ask how I'm going because she misses how we used to hang out and wants to return to those times. It's funny how the tables have turned. Back in LA she was the one being distant and I wanted my friend back, but now it's just about flipped and I don't think I'd miss her if she disappeared. I hate to sound like a "salty ex", but lately I've seen behavior from her I didn't like (irresponsible drinking especially when she had to drive right after, rudeness/savageness at Friendsgiving with people she didn't even know) and I wish I didn't have to interact with her as much as I do.

It kind of reminds me of other situations I thought about recently:

• erratic drivers who brake and change lanes with no apparent motivation, but whom you can't find the chance to pass and are constantly on edge wishing you were far away from
• mom, whose ties have been very hard to separate from (trust account, condo and car ownership) despite her being a person worth none of my time or thought

I don't mind some sour or prickly people at volleyball since I don't usually have to interact with them. Even teammates are only around for so long and don't typically ruin a game for me. This girl on the other hand has connections to my friends and the only emotion I feel when I see her is annoyance.

I told her I hadn't thought about the situation with her and that I've been staying distant out of reflex, which I hope she bought. I don't think it's appropriate to say that I'm in full "bye bitch" mode and don't want to talk to her again since she kind of has to be around. I think keeping her at arm's length while being friendly when I have to interact is the least troublesome of all long-term solutions.

I napped for a bit (the couch is just too tempting) before meeting with Sam for a 1:1. It was nice being affirmed and heard when sharing my struggles on the automation utility, and he gave me a helpful roadmap for my expectations:

• Dip toes into code when the chance comes now
• 3 months of intensely learning
• 6-12 months being able to contribute without much help

He also pushed for me to be coding, both because my program apparently makes sure that we're doing development specifically and because it's Sam's self-proclaimed job to give me challenging work and make sure I learn. Sam agreed with Gonzalo and Yumei in their desire for me to "own" one of the microservices of Arcus and be responsible for overseeing any questions or changes that others have for it. This all seems ambitious, but I'm excited to actually have a job. I guess a sure thing, even if it's responsibility, can be very comforting.

I napped more, played some Left 4 Dead since the server was popping at the time, and am now in some cryptic meeting (title is "hopefully this time works :)") with a few team members. It seems like Vibha has a few questions, but Gonzalo began a little house tour and has 6 Jojo posters that he had printed and framed for $2,000+ total. I got to see the Herman Miller Chadwick's, his Aeron chair, and he shared about poison dart frogs he used to keep. The man is a Bond villain.

The team also chatted about a Christmas party or event while waiting for people, which doesn't seem very interesting. They threw out ideas for a white elephant, which no one seems to like based on stories, going out drinking, karaoke, and bowling. They're pretty interesting people, but I have to admit none of those activities with them sound fun. I'm almost tempted to invite them to volleyball like I did with Randy, but I guess the group may not stick around anyways.

This meeting has been going for 2 hours and it's past 5:30 PM. Nonso even commented that I don't have to be present, which prompted me to ask if it's a big issue since 6 of us are in the call together. They said it isn't anything major and that questions just kept popping up while we were all together, but I'm hoping this kind of thing isn't regular. I'm not sure if I have everyone's blessing to leave, but I'm hungry and stopped paying attention a while ago. It may be too obvious if I'm playing Left 4 Dead, but I can just continue rereading Haikyuu.

The meeting finished, I ate some dinner, and Caiti picked me up for volleyball. She also brought a cake she decorated for Philip, which was a lot of fun to hide and exciting to bring out for him. The games were also a lot of fun tonight.

The crowd was lively, we had plenty of courts, and I had a lot of support when trying to hit. Speaking of hits, I managed to get some solid ones, but most of them were dug from the deep corner. I'll still take it as progress and a solid day though.

Afterwards Kristi and Anthony asked to join for bar hopping, which we were all down for. Kristi didn't have anything to wear though so we made do with a flannel from my closet, which worked out in the end. It was fun having people over spontaneously sending it even though they kept losing their minds at how nice everything is when I think it's pretty normal.

First we went to Milli, which I remember finding with Gigi on a whim while walking around the Jeni's that just opened nearby. It was cool to get into, a cramped staircase with red light coming from inside, but it was similarly cramped after we got in and the crowd was very lax. Everyone else commented on how everyone else was white, which I couldn't deny, but I still had a lot of fun since the house music was hitting.

After a few rounds of shots and some dancing we walked over to Wonderbar, which was not especially close. Right as we entered I was talking to Anthony about volleyball and a guy behind us wanted to join in. Then we gushed about it for like half an hour. Long enough to learn that:

• Playing middle, at least around Dallas, gets you noticed since there seems to be a drought of them
• This guy Sabyius was a coach for the Mississippi team at one point
• There he coached alongside Cobey Shoji, sister of Erik Shoji
• Sab is trying to challenge Erik to tennis

The girl he was with got very bored while we were talking, but the rest of our group was inside already, so they couldn't make conversation with her. By the time we finished and exchanged information, she told Sab that she wanted to go home. This was heartbreaking to me, partially since she was looking good, but also because I was sad to see how she didn't love the game like we did despite playing when she was younger.

After splitting with Sabyius, Anthony walked around the bar trying to find the group. It was festive themed to the point where I wondered if it really was a bar, which at least made it fun to look around. Caiti messaged me that they went upstairs, so Anthony and I made our way there. It was fun chilling in the rooftop with the nice weather enjoying yet more live music. The issue was that we were all sober by then, but my suggestion for food afterwards was met with excitement.

We didn't even stay long enough to get kicked out of the bar before breaking for Taco Bell and then chilling at Kimmy and Arushii's place. Caiti and Anthony had to leave then since they had work and a tournament tomorrow respectively, so it was just me and Kristi getting food.

We got to chat a lot, which of course was amazing. She recommended me Studio Ghibli films to watch with an order, which was fascinating to hear her share about since she's clearly a huge fan. She also reminded me of the magic of the Mexican pizza from taco bell, which got me curious enough to try one despite the lost value from my typical box pick.

By the time we showed up with our food it was only Kimmy, Arushii, and James left, but we enjoyed our food and provided snacks, played Overcooked for a bit, and called it. The whole hangout was nice, but Overcooked had me using my brain when I didn't want to. Afterwards Kristi expressed interest in buying the game for herself, shared about how she's getting into games on her PC, and detailed her connection to the volleyball group, which was surprising since we joined at around the same time.

By now the weather cooled down enough to get chilly, so we ran back to my car to head back to my place for her things. I had a ton of fun tonight, especially with everyone coming out despite their plans for tomorrow (Kristi also has a wedding to attend). Thinking about the end of the Friday volleyball group is sad, but that along with hanging out with volleyball friends makes the season feel like the shift to something new, which is exciting.