Over 2.5 Months?

It's been 2.5 months since my last post.  I'm taking the morning off work so I thought I'd catch some people up on some stuff... after reading through everything I noticed I am atypically non chronological in my post... deal with it.

I did not go to Saudia Arabia in October as planned, but will be heading there for a week in January and then 15-17 months starting in February of 2013.

Amanda and I are still going strong, and celebrated our 6 months dating "anniversary" this past week.  It fell on the night of both of our corporate Christmas parties.

I was sick and banged up my knee in November.  Combined with lots of football the month left me feeling quite out of shape.

Things are really busy at work and will continue to be until I head to the Kingdom.  Right now I'm just trying to balance getting all of it done with spending some quality time with Amanda while I can.

We went all German for Halloween. 

Amanda joined my family for Thanksgiving dinner and then the South Carolina / Clemson game.  

Amanda has planned a secret New Year's eve trip and I still have no idea where we are going.  She's going to tell me this weekend so I have time to pack.

I had a roommate move in this past weekend.  He'll put some use to my condo while I am in the Kingdom and seems to be a pretty cool guy.  I'm sure you'll here about a stupid roommate adventure soon.

Glad you were able check in, and sorry for not posting more, but honestly, I'm enjoying life so much right now that I just don't have much time to write about it.

Munchen is Wunderbar

Pretty much everyone who follows the blog watches my facebook so there is already a lot of Munich related things posted online, but I wanted add some of today's adventures and commentary...

Me and the guys at the Hofbrauhaus, Munich's most famous bar and the site of Adolf Hitler's first public speech.

Oh yes the food is awesome...

and the women dress like this... guess what I"m bringing Amanda from Germany... the answer is not a pretzel.

Titles are Overrated

I really don't have a title for this post, and just calling it a life update seems dumb, all my posts are life updates or general musings...

Work Update

Saudi Arabia discussions are coming up more and more frequently at work.  It is very likely now that I'll be headed there in February of 2013.  Aluminum cars seem to be one of the next big things, seems like building an aluminum auto sheet mill in Saudi Arabia would be a pretty strong career move.

Amanda Update

Had a great time with Amanda last weekend.  We went hiking at Caesar's Head with Steven and Nichole.  The weather was beautiful and it was great to spend time with Steven and Nichole... Steven is always in rare form when he gets to entertain someone new so it was a treat for all of us.

After hiking we went back to my place and cooked dinner and then watched the Clemson game.  We started off the season against Auburn on a neutral field and it was a back and forth game, so Amanda got to see what my Mom calls, "my worst side."  She seems to still be dating me after watching me yell at a football game for 3 hours ... so that's good and surprising!

The rest of the weekend included Church together at St. Mary's, running together, lunch in the park, and a fair amount of 'How I Met Your Mother.' 

Other Random Stuff

I've stockpiled Pumpkin beer and today bought some Pumpkin Coffee K-Cups at Dunkin Donuts.  I love pumpkin season!!!

Shannypooh and I won at Mellow Mushroom Trivia this week.  Categories were Friends (tv-show), Chemistry, Famous Battles, and Random.  Pretty much perfect for me and Shannypooh.  I kind of wish we hadn't been sitting in a corner so the tables of 10+ could see they were getting beat by 1 nerd and 1 girl who is really obsessed with Friends. :) Just incase yall didn't know, Ross was allergic to kiwi.

Life Update

Life is good.

Also before I get to some category type stuff I want to give a shout out to Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Christy Prouty... there wasn't a volunteer from our group that I respected more than her, and she pretty much solidified that by how she finished.  Welcome home Christy!!! :)

Random Stuff Going On:

I tried to run 10 miles this morning but successfully only "ran" 9.  My last mile clocked in at 13+ minutes screwing up my intended 90 minute 10 mile.

This was a poor decision as Amanda and her friends are taking me on a 20+ mile bike ride tomorrow.

Along these lines I'm trying to get back into shape... I've got that tentative marathon this November that I'd really like to run.

Hopefully getting some career news / route forecast in the next few weeks...

My sister, cousin, and I have established a weekly trivia night... next week we are eating a free large pizza at the mellow mushroom because of our gritty second place finish this week.  (btw, it was just me and Shannypooh fending off teams as large as 20 people) BOOM!!!

Pumpkin beer season is here and I"m planning on stocking up enough cases to get me through football season.  I love the UFO Unfiltered Pumpkin and am on the lookout for the Dogfish Head Punkin.

Lucky Guy

A beautiful woman made me this dinner last night, an incredibly seasoned roast chicken accompanied by roasted potatoes and green beans.

...

Ryan Luckie is taking a vacation.

For the first time in over 10 years I am taking a vacation.

I've booked a week in Germany and will be meeting friends coming home from their Peace Corps service in Uganda at Oktoberfest!

Unbelievable...

"Remember it- remember it well- it is not often that one can see pure evil- look at it- remember- and some day you'll find the words to name its essence..." -Ayn Rand

4th of July

It ain't the Fort Jackson Torchlight Tattoo but considering it is about 20 feet from all the beer in my fridge I will take it.  Continuing to love the Brio in downtown Greenville.

Finishing Touches

Filled up a couple of picture frames with some of the people I love most in the world in anticipation of my date tomorrow.  If you aren't pictured, you either will be soon or have a inflated ego. ;)

95% Complete

Some things are never done.  You are never 100% moved in, because your home is always evolving and there are always plans for how you will continue to evolve it.  A new picture on a wall or in a frame is a small enhancement, even if it is just 0.01% of the total home.

I'm calling myself 95% moved in and having a victory beer, brewed by my brother and myself about 3 months ago.

Here are some photos of the condo.

My bedroom is probably my least developed room.  I need to get some more stuff on the walls in there.

Another view. 

And another.

The master bathroom.

My sink.

My office and guest room.  Looking forward to some of yall staying here.

All unique bottles, all drunk by me, except the one bud light lime bottle.  Thanks Amy!

Goodbye Acer netbook, hello ultrabook.

The guest bed, or as Shannypooh refers to it, "[her] bed."

"[her] bathroom"

Me and my "freedom 15", yay American food and 60 hour weeks at the office.

My living room.

Ha ha... suck it, people in Uganda.

 My living room from the other side.

 My recliner is the one on the left.  

The dvd shelf.

My kitchen table and bookshelf.  

Looking into the kitchen and the entrance.

The wine shelf and bar.

My kitchen area.

 

Another view inside the kitchen area.

My patio.

My view of downtown.  

What I keep in my storage closet on the patio.

A Luckie Brother's American Wheat.  Yes I have a bottle opener on my island, and yes, screwed up the placement of the cap catcher and need to spackle and stain those two holes.

My Living Room

Due to my couches not yet arriving and my purchasing a kayak this afternoon, my living room is currently reminiscent of an episode of 'Friends.'

Thought I'd share it with yall.

P.S. I made this blog post while sitting in the kayak, watching 'New Girl'

Progress Lately

Been a bit busy
In the week leading up to my moving in and the week after my moving, I only worked 4 day weeks, and yet still ended up working a 60 hour week on both occasions.  15 hour days have been wearing on me, especially since my home isn't set up yet.  There is nothing I love more than a routine that includes 12 hours at the office, a quick 5 mile run, a stocked fridge when I get home, and an hour or two on the couch before getting to bed.  Without the couch, a stocked fridge, and with me spending an extra 3 hours at the office I've been a takeout food eating, non exercising, corporate whore.

I ran 3 miles today for the first time in two weeks and am real excited about getting it into my routine.  My route around the downtown area takes me up one of the main streets overlooking the Greenville skyline, past 3 of the "South Carolina sized skyscrapers," and through the west end bar district and Fluor Field.

Actually exercising inspired me to go to the grocery store and actually stock my place with some healthy food.  Not only will i cease to continue putting on America weight, but its a lot cheaper than ordering pizza and picking up Moes.

Saturday
Saturday was the day I've been waiting for.  My couches, recliners, and office furniture was scheduled to be delivered.

They did not come.  After a very angry conversation with an operator at Ashley furniture I was told that they would be available on the 11th (a day I am going out of town) (more on that later).  I'm not really willing to miss much more work for this furniture, but am really upset that I might not have my couch and recliners until the 19th.  As a plus I got a complimentary $200 gift certificate.  I need to stop by the showroom and check out their giant clocks or old maps. (two fixtures I always have in my homes)

One plus of the day, while I was waiting for furniture I discovered "Community" on Hulu Plus.  I've been marathoning it most of the weekend.  I adore Joel McHale's character, he is the perfect example of self serving evil with a cumbersome conscience that I strive for.

What's In The Fridge...

I originally conceived this section as a summary of what beers I am currently drinking, and then it occurred to me that it might bring comfort to my mother to know I actually have real food in my refrigerator.

As I type this I am drinking Luckie Batch 2, an American Wheat Ale brewed by my brother an myself a few weeks ago.  My brother is making an art project out of beer bottle caps so I've constrained my commercial beer choices to beers with black tops (a high priority need of his) for a few weeks.  Black capped commercial beers currently in my fridge include the Magic Hat Summer Variety pack and Sweet Water IPA.

Mommy, I also have steamer vegetable packs, low sodium spicy V8, Almond Milk, and a whole bunch of yogurt packets.  

Next Weekend

Friday after work, hopefully I'll be doing about a half day, I'm driving up to DC for the DC101 Chili Cookout, featuring one of my top 5 favorite bands, CAKE!!!  I've never seen them in concert and am really excited.  I'm also excited about being there with Annie, her fiance Eric, and Ronak. Yeah, yall get shout outs.

Cloud 9

This week I completed the transfer of all my documents, music, and pictures to the cloud. I'm all kinds of excited. 

I'm gonna get Lawyered...
This is the second section I've added after publishing but am really exited to announce that not only did my brother get into law school, but he and his wife will be staying in Columbia!!!  I'm really excited to be living just an hour an half from them for a while.

Next Moves

Phone, job, car, and house have been knocked out.  Now I'm moving on to the next set of moves.

I spent about 5 hours at Ashley Furniture in Greenville yesterday and this is what I got:

This sofa.

Two of these chairs.

This coffee table.

This kitchen table and chairs.

This Desk Collection.

Which has a matching bedroom set that will make up my guest bedroom / office.

In my bedroom I will have this collection, but not the tall chest of drawers.

Earlier this week I also got this 55" LED TV by Samsung.

And this TV Stand.

My objective today is to match the color of the coffee table and the guest bedroom set to a stain and arrange for 3 book shelves (1 for the office, two for the living room) and a side table to be made for between the recliners.  

Also, if I ever see my busy little sister again we need to go rug shopping.  It would be real nice if I could buy my rugs and have them delivered prior to the furniture showing up.

Anyhow, I hope those who read this blog get to visit me and enjoy my home sometime soon.