At long last, another update to the blog. I was away all weekend (without Internet, no less! How do people survive?) down in Maryland visiting Dave with Nicole. Friday night was a long drive through the darkness, while Sunday was a long drive through the twilight hours. Saturday was the jewel of the weekend.
The first adventure was to the Maryland – UNC fooseball (football, for everyone else) game, where Maryland had the game wrapped up by the middle of the second quarter. Which was fairly good, because our seats were on-high (I thought I saw a few angels fly by), and I could barely follow the action. Throw in a dose of warmth in November, and a bright sun, and 3/4 of the people present (no, I don’t count as two, Dave brought along Phil, a college friend) were just about ready to go. The Marching Band provided a nice reprieve, and the twirlers were simply phenomenal. My jaw dropped on some of the swaps they did, especially when three did a swap and batons were flying across the field. In fact, I was so fascinated by them I didn’t even watch the rest of the field.
After an early departure, we stopped at Toys R Us in search of the elusive Hogwarts Express. Fortunately, we didn’t locate it, though in the end it didn’t matter as the train doesn’t run on lego tracks. I did discover, however, that there are more than two good games for the Gameboy Advance, including Puzzle Fighter and a Mario Kart racing game. This may have negative ramifications on my wallet, if my resistance to spending on those kinds of toys wanes.
Which brings me to the next phase of the weekend, a trip to the mall and Medieval Times. The intensity of the swordplay impressed me, as I didn’t expect to actually see sparks fly. The “special effects” and the actual “plot” components, on the other hand, struck me as cheesy, especially the fog and the usage of the lights. Still, I would not object to another trip, and it is fun eating without utensils. The mall at which the Medieval Times was located as a pleasant affair, with a well-maintained interior that was bright and inviting. And there was also a movie theatre built in a faux-Egyptian style with valet parking. At least for your $10, you’re getting your money’s worth.
Yesterday was its own fun, as well. A visit to the dermatologist ended with two stitches in my back from a mole the doctor felt should be removed. And upon returning home, I was greeted with an unknown visitor claiming to know my estranged uncle. She, like the visitor two weeks earlier, was looking for either him or his family members. Since I have no contact information from anyone on that side of my family, there was nothing I could provide. Nor would I have, though I did take her information and passed it along to my parents. Apparently, my Grandfather’s house is the last known family address. And since he has left the monestary, the contacts have been increasing, as word travels.
Thankfully, there was Monday Night Drinking, which was low-key in nature but did take some of the edge off.