Mud Volleyball, and Other Awesomeness...

The drive home was, well, unbearably LONG through the rain and the incessant stop-and-go traffic of a Friday evening rush hour. Bleh. But I made it! I walked in the door, greeted everyone for a few minutes, and promptly walked right back through the same door for the night. LOL "Hi, I'm back. See you in the morning!"

GREAT NEWS! My best friend, Brian, is now engaged to his paramour. She will soon be Mrs. Pria White. Yay! I was psyched. He went to pop the question at the Cliff House in Maine, where my family, ex and I had spent a morning last Fall. Such a picturesque location! I had not originally thought to pop any sort of question there, but I had considered it for a ceremony location. Anywho, he didn't do it there because he wanted to wait and ask her father first. However, her family was trapped in Africa due to the British Airways strike, so he had to wait until returning to Connecticut. To make a long story short, she did, of course, accept and they have already been swept up in the family merriment surrounding the occasion. By my guesstimate, I feel I stand about a 50/50 shot of being Best Man. Larry has known him longer, but is a jerk and not overly involved in the relationship. Ben and I have both known Brian for an equal length of time. Ben is overseas though, and I have been asked for much advice through this whole recent process... so between the three of us, I feel it's 50/50 for me, so I would not be surprised if one of the others were to receive the honor but I would still much rather it be me! =) I mean, DUH!

On Saturday I got out of bed at what seemed like an unholy hour... for a Saturday, at least... to go "play in the mud." I donned all my best clothing that I never want to wear again and headed out with the sister. Once we caught up with the team, we staked out a good spot for our small camp and started taping up. That's right, when you play mud volleyball you have to duct tape yourself up! LOL The arches of your shoes and around your ankles need to be tightly wrapped so you don't lose your sneakers in the mud. Even so, some people were seen grasping through the murk looking for lost articles. Knees, it was proven, are also a good location for duct tape... for although the field is full of mud, there are PLENTY of stones underneath the surface to dig into your skin. I should know, I look like I fell off a moving motorcycle and got dragged by my knees! Two days later, I am still surprised at how sore my quads and hips are. You might think that your calves would take the brunt of the punishment like normal, but it was the hips and thighs that took the most abuse. This was likely due to the suction we had to overcome just to be able to move. Some of the girls in their light weight would go to jump and their whole center of gravity would go up... only to have their whole body slam down into the mud because their feet never overcame the sucking mud. LOL They looked like spindly trees falling over. But good lord, was it nice when it came time after each match to get cleaned up! They ran the fire hoses for everyone to wash up... and what a show it was when the girls came over to stand in the high-pressure water spray! MMM MMM! More than a few of them were putting on quite a show. ;)

As for our team, we lost terribly. We put up a valiant fight! However, our team of six versus teams of eight and nine could simply not keep up. In simple terms of open space and limited mobility, we were left wide open. We all made some excellent plays, though. I've got a few good shots of me diving and jumping. I just wish I had got my hair cut before the game. Two months of growth had me looking like a shaggy dog in the mud! But then, once you got coated in the crud it was all good. Mud makes both excellent protection against sunburn and a superb insulator. =) Thank you, Doctor Science.

Haircut.... oh boy.... I am SO changing salons. Yes, I go to a salon. LOL I've gone to the same place since I was about 12, so I've always stuck with them. I've always known the stylists growing up and who to trust with the shears or not. But they were busy this weekend, so they referred me to a place they're associated with down the street... and... well... I might never go back! I went in and they wash your hair like normal, but then I got this ten minute head and neck massage by a beautiful girl named Nicole. Oh boy, after the volleyball game, driving home the night before, and everything else we know that has been happening in my life... well, mostly just that third thing... it felt GREAT to just sit there and be pampered. Talk about stress relief. So there's that, but all of their stylists at this place were younger and cuter. Now, is it that I'm freshly released, that I'm a fairly eligible bachelor, or that I'm just so confident that I keep getting numbers? Oh who cares?! If it's working, whatever it is, it'd probably bust if I messed with it! LOL

Two more weeks in D.C. I have begun the countdown. Now the trick is scheduling my nights and my one remaining weekend to be able to see what I want to see while still saying proper goodbyes to everyone. This weekend I am planning on the Maryland State Fair for a country music concert on Friday (I know, I know... not my choice), a private tour of Gettysburg, and I am definitely going to hit the Rennaisance Fair that opens for the Fall in Annapolis. So the weekend should rock.

Oh, this is funny. I just got a funny IM from someone trying to scam money from Africa. Pretty blatant, but I imagine that people still fall for it.

Tonight... out to dinner and. And? I dunno. 38-C. You tell me. ;)