Friyay | Fr 1/20

Work was interesting today. It's so nice getting to wake up and "commute" by walking to my computer. Meeting about the automation utility was nice at first, especially getting coached by Sam like I was excited to when matching with teams, but my inability to answer his questions about the long-term path for the project were concerning so I brought them to Shabab. Unfortunately he told me his intentions for the project were much smaller than Sam thought, so I guess I'll have to meet with Nicole to discuss what we're going to do about it.

I'm about to finish work and Gigi asked who all is coming to Subtronics. She also commented that I have a rave bae when I mentioned how Nancy is going, but the fact that I'm on the fence about rave bae vs friend for Nancy made me wonder if others feel the same. Looking up how others define it, I just found people who don't have luck dancing with others. Some of them shared that they're shy even when intoxicated, girls and guys, and may not have the courage to ask even when they want to dance. This and many shared experiences about not taking hints that someone else wanted to dance have underscored the importance of just asking somebody.

We went to Patagonia so I could check out the sale items and possibly use my gift card, but Gigi was interested in a backpack she could use for both work and travel and was eyeing one for a while. Even after looking at the sale section in-store I'm much more tempted by the online sale offerings, but even then I'm not sure I can justify the purchase even with a gift card. Maybe I'll just give it to her to use on the bag since I'm not sure a better sale will come.

Right afterwards we passed by a Gus's and Gigi lit up, so we ate there for dinner. Even though service was slow, the staff were kind and helpful. Gigi and I also got to chat about a lot: our college experiences and opinions, raves and future ones we're thinking about attending, and the Breaking Bad cast meetup tomorrow. It seems like she likes the show so I told her I'm okay with joining her at the event, so I guess that's the plan for tomorrow. We also paid with the same credit card, which it seems Gigi got after hearing me talk about the absolute gas that is 5% cashback. It was hilarious to see, but also allowed me to finally experience the boost that comes from someone listening to my recommendation.

Our food came out late so I was late to volleyball, but the whole night was less fun than usual. Lately I've felt like the Friday group has changed to be mostly newbies and less "friendly people offering advice". I remember standing on a court with 12 people who were passing around on both sides, but didn't want to serve or play a proper game even though they were all waiting for the other courts to open, which felt like a waste. Doing hitting lines was also frustrating when so many hitters sent balls into neighboring courts. That along with long lines got me to just practice serves to actually get reps in.

It was nice getting to see friends there, especially ones who I haven't seen in a while (a lot of them were surprised at the hair even though it's been like 3 weeks), but I feel like playing with many newbies isn't as fun as running formations. It's weird to admit since I was losing to the people playing like that (only tips, many short underhand serves, basically only passes rather than bump-set-spike), but I heard echoes of Eric describing that style of play as "old man ball" and had to agree with the assessment.

Even when I tried focusing on my passes, the backs of my ankles were worn by the new shoes so I had to switch into my crocs. I guess I did get a lot of serve and serve reception reps in today, especially between games, but I didn't find the games themselves especially fun. I guess that's how games go, a win is a win, but maybe I just like the athletic parts (big hits, blocks, the "normal" way to play). I think I chose a good time to join DIVA since I'll be able to say engaged with sweatier games on Fridays.

Speaking of DIVA, chatting with them about the league had a lot of surprises. I didn't know that even players like Thomas were only in skilled, which scared me more when I see that I'm in advanced. Sara also shared that players generally don't move down which made me wonder if I'll keep getting smoked, but she also encouraged me by saying that playing against better players will help me learn faster, which I can see. I'm excited to start playing, but it's sad how I'll be separated from friends playing since I'm in a division so different.

My DIVA placement and the games tonight also taught me a lesson in taking care of myself. I felt like being away from the game was arguably helpful in letting me feel fresh, so I may want to shoot for quality over quantity when it comes to playtime. I was also too busy to eat my lunch today and I realized how much diet, along with sleep, factors into how I play. I can see how lacking energy, from either food or sleep, has my brain working slower and worse.

Also while driving home I chatted with Nancy and she shared that she's from LA, which was surprising. It was nice getting to chat about things like spots I should visit next and I'd love to spend longer talking. This is like having a rave penpal and I love it.