Before going to the gym...

should I drink a protein shake?  Will be going right after work, so it will be before dinner.  Not sure if I should or should not eat/drink something before working out.  I eat lunch at 1230, and will be at the gym about 5.  Thanks for the advice :)

If you are hungry, by all means eat something before going to the gym.

However, your liver normally carries enough glycogen to fuel fairly intense physical activity for about an hour and a half--so unless your workout lasts longer than that, you should be fine. I might take a small snack with you to eat at the gym in case you feel light-headed, but otherwise you should be pretty safe.

I usually have a little cottage cheese or yogurt  with some fruit.  You don't need "real food" unless you are going to be hammering for over an hour, generally speaking.

I eat yogurt or a protein shake or cottage cheese&fruit, something small, one hour before my workouts, which are strenuous. When i haven't done that, or hadn't drunk enough water during the day,, I can really tell, but that's just me. Try it out, see how you feel and adjust as needed. Even if i'm not working out, i still eat planned snacks three times a day so am used to a mid-afternoon cheesestick anyhow. 

Also, after working out, i drink a protein drink or take a banana from the training studio. Again, see how you feel and make adjustments.

The worst thing that'll happen is you'll feel tired/weak/grumpy/fussy, so no big deal. Adjust as necessary :)

Good luck! let us know how it goes!