Quite an eventful week for sure.

The week started well. I invited Maria over to my apartment for dinner on Monday. I've not hung out with her for some time and since she's working on the other side of the building, we don't really get to catch up with one another that much. It was nice to just chat with her and hear how things are going in her neck of the woods.

On Wednesday, I had my annual review and aced it. I got a mini pay increase which is always nice. Overall, everyone is happy with me and basically, I was told to keep doing what I'm doing. I did bring up the fact the since I "lost" Maria to the case management department, I don't have anyone to help me file and the stack is getting to be pretty high because of all the reregistrations that are coming in. Margaret said she'll she'll speak to Carol who is Maria's supervisor and figure something out. I told Margaret that if push comes to shove, I'll come in over the weekend to clear some of the stuff, but I know the agency does not really want people to comp their hours. I'll leave it for the supervisors to hash it out among themselves.

Thursday was fun because it was the first day of the Iowa State Fair and the young adults group were to meet there and just hang out. I left for the fairgrounds right after work which gave me more than enough time to see some of the things I wanted to see like the art and photography exhibits. It's pretty amazing when you see some of the skills/talents people have when it comes to art and photography. All in all there were four people who came and that was fine by me. We watched the "Vocal Trash" performance which was really good. The best way to describe this group would be to call them "Stomp" but add singing to their act. It was a lot of fun. Oh, I should say that one of the people in the group who came was a Moslem and she was a headscarf and what I would call a very traditional/conservative dress. Needless to say, the people at the fair kept looking at her. She was at the fair two years ago and felt very uncomfortable because people kept staring at her. I told her that people are bound to stare at our group because here's this Asian guy walking next to Moslem girl and in front of us were two Americans! As the day went on, she felt more comfortable but some yahoo did yell something to the effect that there's a terrorist in our midt. She laughed but I could tell it was a little uncomfortable. It's amazing how ignorant some people are. She was born in Jordan and migrated to the US some years ago. She even told me that her mom's Catholic! All in all, I have to say we had a good time walking the fair and just people watching. The last group we saw was the "Nadas". They are a local band who have a pretty large following. I've heard of them before but have never listened to their music. It was a good opportunity for me to hear them. Needless to say there were quiet a lot of people at their performance and the people up front were most definitely huge Nadas fan. I can see their appeal. I can't really classify their music but would say it's close to rock/adult contemporary. It was a good way to end the day at the fair.

Did not do a whole lot on Friday and Saturday. I stayed in the apartment for the most part as it was hot and very humid. I did walk over to the library and read some magazines and newspaper. Today (Sunday) as I stepped into my car, I found a huge crack on my windshield and it's definitely from the contruction that's takinng place right next to the parking lot. I remember the former manager sending all residents a note saying that during the contruction period, if something were to fall and cause a crack/dent, to let her know. I called the manager right after Mass and told her about it. I even called my insurance agent just to be on the safe side. It'll be interesting to see what happens and how it will be taken care of. I'm very certain nothing is going to come out of my pocket, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

That's pretty much how the week has been for me. John just got back from his cruise to the Baltic region so I'm fairly certain we'll be meeting up so I can see photos of his vacation. Apart from that, there's not a whole lot going on this coming week. I'm kind of getting a little sick and tired of the hot weather, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Loft/Condo tour.

On Saturday, Kathy and I went on the downtown loft/condo tour. There's been a number of new development taking place downtown and it was interesting to see some of these places. I've been curious to see the inside of some of these places and was not disappointed. Needless to say, some were nicer than others. We ended up touring six development and the one that really jumped out to me was located just south of the Gateway Market. There's something about that condo that just stuck with me. The tours normally take place the first Saturday of each month. However, there will not be a tour next month as it's Labor Day weekend. The next tour will be in October and this time I'll be touring the lofts/condo located on the east side of downtown DM. Having lived in downtown DM, I see myself living her for the long term. At the same time, some of these places cost a bomb. We'll see what the East Village has to offer.

Later in the day, I went to David and Panom's house for a summer party. They invited me over together with a bunch of their friends/colleagues just to grill and have fun. It was a fun time. I got to see Aiden and Keegan. It's been quite some time since I've seen their kids and they are adorable as ever. Keegan's talking quite a lot now and it was really fun trying to figure out what he was saying. He's two and Aiden is five. I spent a good part of the evening chatting with Panom's brother in law. He's a neat guy and we just connected. After everyone left, I stayed around to clean up although Panom insisted I not do it. As with all Asian households, she gave me a ton of food to take home with me. She made the comment it's the Asian thing to do! The next time, Panom said she'll cook some pho while I volunteered to cook some Malaysian curry. It's a date.

After Mass today, I got a haircut which felt good since I've not gotten my hair cut in roughly two months. There was the Republican Presidential Candidate Debate that took place on Drake's campus right around Mass time but surprisingly, parking was not a problem. Needless to say there were a lot of people in and around the Drake area, but that did not bother me.

It's been extremely hot and humid these past couple of days which makes me want to stay in my apartment and not go outside. The Iowa State Fair begins on Thursday and the young adults group will be going there for our get together. I'll actually be going there before most people since I get off work much earlier than most people. That way I can get started on the food before others make it there! It will also give me the opportunity to see some things that I want to see and am not sure if others would be interested in seeing. I'm really excited for some of the free performances because there are a number of groups that will be performing who I've not heard before. I'm not quite sure how many times I'll make it to the state fair, but I'm sure it's going to be more than twice! It's definitely one of my most favorite times of the year. Let's just hope the weather is not too hot and humid. Even if it is, it won't keep me away!