Rumble Weekend 2018
I am now two weekends removed from my visit to Philadelphia, PA for the 2018 Royal Rumble. It was interesting being in the city that weekend, as it was the weekend before the Eagles would win their first Super Bowl and the town was very excited to take part.
Jimmy drove myself and Chris down Saturday around 12:30 PM. We took his SUV with every intention to tailgate on Sunday, as we had in 2015 when we went to Philadelphia for the Royal Rumble, but weather would change our plans. I had not seen Jimmy since he helped me move in late October and I had not seen Chris since we visited Hellertown, PA for CHIKARA in May, and I don't think either of them had seen each other since WrestleMania in April (which I discussed in my last entry.) While I keep in touch with those guys almost daily, it's not nearly the same as the three of us being together, catching up, and just making each other laugh. Our friend Todd joined us and hooked us up with some cheap rooms at a hotel near the Philadelphia airport.
This trip ended up being one of my favorites I've had in awhile, for a few reasons. A lot of these bigger wrestling weekends are surrounded by other companies running in the area in an attempt to capitalize on the fans traveling into town from out of the area. This year, only two companies did so, and they happen to be two companies I am a big fan of: Beyond Wrestling (Saturday) and CHIKARA (Sunday.) Chris and Jimmy are usually down to do what I want to do, and if I wanted to go to both shows it very likely would have happened. However, I knew both shows were streaming live online, not going would save a few bucks, that parking at the venue where both shows were being held was non-existent, and that at both events I'd been anxious about not having enough time to get to our evening events from the matinee to grab food, get a decent parking spot, etc. Not going to these shows made the weekend far more relaxing. Most of the time we just kicked it in the hotel room, watched old Royal Rumbles on the TV, played cards, and enjoyed some "novels." Another reason the weekend was so great was that both shows were awesome. NXT Takeover: Philadelphia took place the Saturday night before the Rumble and included one of the best matches I've ever seen in person: Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship. It's a match I won't soon forget and one I'm sure I will rewatch many times over the years. The Rumble itself featured two excellent Rumble matches, including the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match. Being there for such a historic match was super cool and made even better by the fact that I won my first ever Rumble Pool during that match. Considering I've been participating since 2011, it's been a long time coming (thanks, Asuka!) We took Monday off so we didn't have to rush home Sunday evening, which was a great call given how tired we all were. I took care of some chores and errands when I got home and enjoyed the evening with Abby.
I have not mentioned it yet, so I'll mention it now: Abby and I moved in together the last weekend of October. We were both in very good living situations on our own (here living alone in Falls Church and me living with a buddy in Fairfax), but it was the next logical step in our relationship and something we both wanted. However, we both wanted to wait for the right place before moving in together. We're both fortunate enough to not be on long term leases and enjoying our own individual spaces that no rush was needed. We spent last Spring looking at places at determined nothing on the market place matched our needs, both in location, size, or price. Admittedly we took a little time off from looking that we maybe should've kept going, but it ended up working in our favor. My buddy Will, who I met through my friend Kevin, was planning to temporarily move out of his townhouse for a few years as he went to graduate school while also working full time. He had not yet put his house on the market, so Abby and I expressed interest in at least giving his place a look before he did so. He agreed. Abby and I liked the place immediately. I was located in Centreville which cuts down her commute by nearly 20 minutes, and is close to my parents, which is a positive since I carpool with my Dad to work. It's a three story townhouse with just enough space for us not to feel claustrophic, but small enough where we don't feel compelled to buy a ton of stuff to fill empty space. It took Will a few months to clean the place to his liking, but he agreed to letting us rent almost instantly. It saved him the hassle of a background check and involving a realtor past the contract phase, and it got us a good deal and spared us some undue hassle as well. We've been in the space for a little over three months and it's been quite good. I personally am still getting used to living with a significant other, but that's something that I get better with gripping over time. It was time for me to move out of Mike's place and I feel like I've made a big step in my personal life.
Speaking of big steps, I am hoping to embark on another soon. It has always been my intention to go to grad school, but for several reasons (or excuses) I have not done so. This Fall, I am planning to put that behind me and enroll in Mason's School of Policy and Government (SCHAR) to get my Public Administration degree with a concentration in Human Resources. I'll be attending a workshop later this month to get a better scope of the School. Honestly, I am terrified. It's been nearly eight years since I've done any schooling and getting back into that mode seems like a Herculean task after that sort of lapse in enrollment. I've talked to a few people who have been through it and they insist I will be fine. I am planning on only taking one three-credit course per semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer) to keep it manageable. I admire Will for working full time and going to school full time, but that to me sounds like a recipe for misery. Even if I do one course a semester, I'm looking at only 10 semesters of schoolwork. It will be a lot of work, but I can't imagine a world in which I regret getting my degree. At this point, I know that I'd like to stay in HR but not higher education. I'm as high as I can go at Mason as an employee. Quite frankly, I am not certain what I want to do with that Masters degree, but I'll be exploring what my options are as soon as I get there. For now, I want to be the best employee I possibly can be in my current position while I work towards my degree.
Onward and upward.
Jimmy drove myself and Chris down Saturday around 12:30 PM. We took his SUV with every intention to tailgate on Sunday, as we had in 2015 when we went to Philadelphia for the Royal Rumble, but weather would change our plans. I had not seen Jimmy since he helped me move in late October and I had not seen Chris since we visited Hellertown, PA for CHIKARA in May, and I don't think either of them had seen each other since WrestleMania in April (which I discussed in my last entry.) While I keep in touch with those guys almost daily, it's not nearly the same as the three of us being together, catching up, and just making each other laugh. Our friend Todd joined us and hooked us up with some cheap rooms at a hotel near the Philadelphia airport.
This trip ended up being one of my favorites I've had in awhile, for a few reasons. A lot of these bigger wrestling weekends are surrounded by other companies running in the area in an attempt to capitalize on the fans traveling into town from out of the area. This year, only two companies did so, and they happen to be two companies I am a big fan of: Beyond Wrestling (Saturday) and CHIKARA (Sunday.) Chris and Jimmy are usually down to do what I want to do, and if I wanted to go to both shows it very likely would have happened. However, I knew both shows were streaming live online, not going would save a few bucks, that parking at the venue where both shows were being held was non-existent, and that at both events I'd been anxious about not having enough time to get to our evening events from the matinee to grab food, get a decent parking spot, etc. Not going to these shows made the weekend far more relaxing. Most of the time we just kicked it in the hotel room, watched old Royal Rumbles on the TV, played cards, and enjoyed some "novels." Another reason the weekend was so great was that both shows were awesome. NXT Takeover: Philadelphia took place the Saturday night before the Rumble and included one of the best matches I've ever seen in person: Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship. It's a match I won't soon forget and one I'm sure I will rewatch many times over the years. The Rumble itself featured two excellent Rumble matches, including the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match. Being there for such a historic match was super cool and made even better by the fact that I won my first ever Rumble Pool during that match. Considering I've been participating since 2011, it's been a long time coming (thanks, Asuka!) We took Monday off so we didn't have to rush home Sunday evening, which was a great call given how tired we all were. I took care of some chores and errands when I got home and enjoyed the evening with Abby.
I have not mentioned it yet, so I'll mention it now: Abby and I moved in together the last weekend of October. We were both in very good living situations on our own (here living alone in Falls Church and me living with a buddy in Fairfax), but it was the next logical step in our relationship and something we both wanted. However, we both wanted to wait for the right place before moving in together. We're both fortunate enough to not be on long term leases and enjoying our own individual spaces that no rush was needed. We spent last Spring looking at places at determined nothing on the market place matched our needs, both in location, size, or price. Admittedly we took a little time off from looking that we maybe should've kept going, but it ended up working in our favor. My buddy Will, who I met through my friend Kevin, was planning to temporarily move out of his townhouse for a few years as he went to graduate school while also working full time. He had not yet put his house on the market, so Abby and I expressed interest in at least giving his place a look before he did so. He agreed. Abby and I liked the place immediately. I was located in Centreville which cuts down her commute by nearly 20 minutes, and is close to my parents, which is a positive since I carpool with my Dad to work. It's a three story townhouse with just enough space for us not to feel claustrophic, but small enough where we don't feel compelled to buy a ton of stuff to fill empty space. It took Will a few months to clean the place to his liking, but he agreed to letting us rent almost instantly. It saved him the hassle of a background check and involving a realtor past the contract phase, and it got us a good deal and spared us some undue hassle as well. We've been in the space for a little over three months and it's been quite good. I personally am still getting used to living with a significant other, but that's something that I get better with gripping over time. It was time for me to move out of Mike's place and I feel like I've made a big step in my personal life.
Speaking of big steps, I am hoping to embark on another soon. It has always been my intention to go to grad school, but for several reasons (or excuses) I have not done so. This Fall, I am planning to put that behind me and enroll in Mason's School of Policy and Government (SCHAR) to get my Public Administration degree with a concentration in Human Resources. I'll be attending a workshop later this month to get a better scope of the School. Honestly, I am terrified. It's been nearly eight years since I've done any schooling and getting back into that mode seems like a Herculean task after that sort of lapse in enrollment. I've talked to a few people who have been through it and they insist I will be fine. I am planning on only taking one three-credit course per semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer) to keep it manageable. I admire Will for working full time and going to school full time, but that to me sounds like a recipe for misery. Even if I do one course a semester, I'm looking at only 10 semesters of schoolwork. It will be a lot of work, but I can't imagine a world in which I regret getting my degree. At this point, I know that I'd like to stay in HR but not higher education. I'm as high as I can go at Mason as an employee. Quite frankly, I am not certain what I want to do with that Masters degree, but I'll be exploring what my options are as soon as I get there. For now, I want to be the best employee I possibly can be in my current position while I work towards my degree.
Onward and upward.