Last week I decided I wanted to take a vacation. I did some research and figured out with my time requirements and budget Washington DC was the place for me. I've also always had a strong interest in politics and our nation and its development. So I'm totally excited to go. I've booked a sweet room at a seemingly nice hotel right downtown. I figured from there I'd be set. Wrong.

Everything is free to visit (sweet) but also complicated and involves months long planning. You have to request a white house visit 3 months in advance through a congressman, same with the pentagon and Congress. Ok so cross those off my list. Next I figure I'll just visit the monuments. Also free, also require tickets months in advance. The next time I can get tickets for the Washington Monument is June 20th. Ok now I'm stuck. I'm fo so going. I have my train ticket and hotel is paid for. There's no turning back. Has anyone else ever taken a DC vacation? Any helpful suggestions? I'm a bit nervous now about what to do where to go. I mean touring the various neighborhoods could be fun but really I want to see the same junk as everyone else and play tourist. Helppppp!

Yesterday I found out that mid-year bonuses at my job are all f'd up. In addition we now get year end bonuses in March of '08. Because my firm was bought out by a Private Equity Firm we changed our year end. Long story short I get a "year end" bonus which should be payment for 12 months but now instead is for 14 months with no additional amount for the 2 additional months. Anyways with all of this I was suppossed to get my mid-year bonus in July. Well looks like I'm not getting it till October. They tell us this days before we were expecting them. So I postponed my vacation in order to have enough spending cash. Well that and work is going to be nuts until the end of August.

Really the whole point of that long paragraph is I now have to wait until August 21st to fly first class. Really that's the highlight of my vacation. I'm really looking forward to it. More than I think is normal. I always walk by the first class folks when boarding and look longingly at their large leather seats. Then I cry on the inside a little again after the stewardess makes the announcement that the bathroom in the front of the aircraft is for first class passengers only. I have to pee like 2 times an hour and bathrooms are essential to me. I can't wait to have access the the exclusive bathroom.

Oh and also I'm looking forward to the free booze that apparently they serve in first class. I mean come on we all know momma likes to get her drink on while flying.

So a while back me and a friend were like lets plan a vacation. Fun girls vacation. We mulled over a few diff ideas and agreed upon Chicago. She knew someone we could crash with and it seemed like a brilliant idea. Almost free vacation.

Now I'm really having anxiety about it. All the sudden our girls vacation has turned into a "p.s. we are going to hang out with various boys I like in Chicago" vacation. So one kid is meeting us at the airport, then we are meeting up with another one on Saturday and then going to some party w him. Being 3rd wheel is really not my idea of fun. I love the girl I'm going away with, she is so rad. However her friends in the past have proven to be less than accepting of anyone they deem not cool enough. I'm so not a fan of people who are not nice. I have many friends here who have been open and accepting of me and my friends that I'm not into too cool for school people anymore.

I tried to slip the fact that I'm not really comfortable with this planing out my vacation for me without including me in the planning. But it didn't fly.

I guess worst case I can go and do my own thing, but wasn't the point supposed to be friend fun?