I hate my job!

[phattymatty]

i haven't been to my office since two wednesdays ago. dc is where its at people.

[ice grillin you]

matty we got hit this spot one night...beats oysters and rob roys....say word

Blackbyrd Warehouse

2005 14th St. NW. No phone.
twitter.com/blackbyrd_dc. Oyster happy hour: from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.


If there's another place where you can start your night with a dozen oysters and a Rob Roy before heading upstairs for grooving to a DJ and watching old movies, well, I haven't heard of it. But that's what awaits most nights at Blackbyrd Warehouse.

Blackbyrd is the newest U Street hangout from bar magnates Eric and Ian Hilton. It takes its name from the Blackbyrds, a '70s jazz/funk group led by trumpeter (and Howard professor) Donald Byrd whose hit "Rock Creek Park" is one of Washington's unofficial anthems.

Downstairs has that easy/casual industrial vibe: One wall is shared with the bar Marvin and covered with graffiti and posters, while the rest of the space feels like a warehouse conversion.

The raw bar sends out a steady stream of oysters and clams perched atop platters of ice, plus lobster rolls, half-pound plates of peel-and-eat steamed shrimp (which could use a little more Old Bay) and cheesy crab dip.

There's a surprisingly good wine list (most glasses $8) with crisp whites to complement the seafood. The draft beer selection includes Murphy's Stout and the pilsner from locals Lost Rhino ($6 each, though the former is $4 during happy hour). And then there are the classic drinks ($11 each): Rob Roys, Old Fashioneds and fizzing French 75s, because nothing says "I'm off work" like oysters and champagne cocktails.

If the first floor is industrial, the upstairs is anything but: It's essentially a big shoe box with walls two-stories high. The front is filled with a long bar counter, while tables, banquettes and comfortable chairs run the length of the room. At night, flickering candles line the walls and a chandelier glows overhead. A huge movie screen is high on the back wall, and black-and-white classics show silently while top-notch DJs drop funk, old-school hip-hop, soul and yacht rock.

If you dig the vibe in Marvin's homey upstairs lounge but find the place too claustrophobic, then this is the place to go.

Speaking of Marvin, the big disappointment at Blackbyrd is the large back patio. It's been appropriated by the sister space, so it's not possible for Blackbyrd's customers to spend time outside. You'll have to leave and go to Marvin for that — but between the tunes, the drinks and the laid-back vibe, you might not want to.

[shorebird]

Gotta' love getting paid for not working all because some italian guy discovered America. I'm taking a week of my vaca after the Sunday night Dallas game, my b-day is that friday, the game is a present. Won't be as old as dirt but I think I'm catching up.

[ice grillin you]

the great thing is that columbus never set foot in america

[SD]

I'm not complaining because it's a day off but one has to wonder how long Columbus day will be a holiday. It's easily the dumbest of all national holidays...and this is coming from a wop.

I took the Monday after the Dallas game off. No way I can go to that game at night and function normally at work the next day.

[shorebird]

I'll be lucky to get home by 2am. I won't be going to sleep, I'll be passing out.

[phattymatty]

my last month of work has consisted of approximately 90% retreats, massages, dinners and three hundred dollar bottles of wine and maybe 10% real work. i love the private sector.

just got back from a 4 day offsite meeting in charleston, sc. cool little city. too sleepy for a place to live but i would definitely visit again. really good restaurants and lots of cute girls.

[Sgt PSN]

Moving the conversation here since it's topic appropriate.

They don't want you to make retirement, huh?

Not me specifically, but in a round about way, yes.  I think I posted about this somewhere else, but about a month or so before I tried reenlisting, new policy came out that said that Staff Sergeants who have been passed over twice for promotion were no longer guaranteed reenlistment.   I've been twice passed for promotion, mostly because my job field has only promoted 3 people in the last 4 years.  I've got about 50 or so guys I'm competing with for promotion and the ones who have been promoted have all had seniority on me.  So I didn't get passed due to poor performance, I'm just not as experienced as the more senior guys.  Anyway, the Marine Corps added nearly 40k troops during the last 7 years to fight in Iraq.  Now that it's over, it's time to cut numbers and that always starts at the top and works it's way down.  I'll most likely be out in April.....which really sucks because I'll be at 16.5 years of active service and the 18 year mark is considered sanctuary which means that anyone with 18 years has to be retained until they hit 20 to retire.  So I'll be 18 months short.  So close, yet so far...

That just makes no goddamn sense.  So now you'll get kicked to the curb, with no f'n jobs available, and you won't get dick all for the years you served.

Yay military.

It sucks, but I suspect I'm getting the same treatment that would take place in a similar situation in the civilian world.    The 2 notable differences though is that in the civilian world, I would have been paying into a 401k plan which I could take with me to my new job.  I don't have to pay into a retirement plan in the military, so there's no money lost but at the same time I'm now about 17 years behind a civilian who has been paying into one.  The other difference is insurance.  Military retirement would give me full medical from the day I retire until I die and for my kids until they graduate college.  Now I'll have to pay (a lot) for my coverage along with the coverage for my kids.  I can still go to the VA for nothing to get looked at for anything military related such as my knees or back, but anything that occurs after I get out will come out of my pocket. 

But truth be told, I'm kind of ready to move on.  I've grown tired of the military over the last 5 or 6 years.  The last time I reenlisted (2007) I was strongly considering getting out and very well may have had it not been for the job market and economy starting to head down the crapper.  I love it but at the same time, I'm ready for something new.  Of course, since I feel like I've invested so much of my life towards retiring before I turn 40, I'll still probably look into the Army or Air Force to see if I can eek out my last few years and get to 20.  If either branch will take me, then I'll probably jump on it.  That is of course, unless Matty can get me a job in his company.  His post above sounds like a great line of work to be in. 

[PhillyPhanInDC]

Sarge, what is your MOS? I work for a pretty large government contractor, we love hiring prior military. If you are interested let me know and I can see what we have.

[ice grillin you]

definitely apply for any and all government jobs on usa jobs as well....military heads obviously get priority

[PhillyPhanInDC]

USAJobs can be a bitch to navigate. If you have a local CAO (Civilian Affairs Rep) talk to them. They can explain how to use the site and adjust your resume for positions. ClrearanceJobs is another good one. Take a SEPS class too.

[Sgt PSN]

Sarge, what is your MOS? I work for a pretty large government contractor, we love hiring prior military. If you are interested let me know and I can see what we have.

0431 - Embark specialist.  I've been the Log Chief for the last 3 years though so I've been running the entire Logistics shop for my squadron....Embark, Supply, Fiscal, GSA fleet management, Facilities, etc, etc. 

Already have a profile/resume on USAJobs, although I def need to fine tune the resume.  Already been to SEPS/TAPS too.  I'll have to check out that other job site though.  Is it actually ClrearanceJobs or is that a typo and it's ClearanceJobs?

[ice grillin you]

its to bad the timing isnt quite right because we are about to post a job for a facilities/property guy in our branch

[Sgt PSN]

its to bad the timing isnt quite right because we are about to post a job for a facilities/property guy in our branch

That's assuming they want the position filled prior to my availability.  As it stands right now, I separate on Apr 24.  Ideally, I'd like to start a new job around June 1 so that I have plenty of time to get settled into where ever the hell I'm moving to while also enjoying a little time off for myself but I'd make myself available as early as May 15th if need be.  I have almost 50 vacation days saved up that I could use starting around March 10th, so technically I could start a new job as early as maybe April 1st.  But I think I'm going to work until the 24th and sell back my unused leave days for nearly 2 months worth of pay.  They tax the crap out of it, but whatever.  I'd prefer to put as much money in the bank as possible in case the jobs aren't there right away.   

[ice grillin you]

ill send you the link when it posts