News at 7... here's Tom with the weekend wrap-up...

I'm just taking a few minutes to check mail and such whilst waiting to put the laundry in the dryer. Using two washers and two dryers is definitely the way to go, and I plan to set my house up like this someday. Why waste ALL day waiting for it to cycle load after load?

Let me see... Friday...

I got off work and ran to shower up. A friend and co-worker of mine suggested I check out a club over in Bethesda. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant and sat outside on the bistro where they had live mariachis. The chicken I had ordered left me salivating for more long after it was devoured. Went for a walk and toured the local area to help digest and kill time before heading down to the club. By the time we arrived it was fairly busy and the patrons were lining up at the door. Escalades, Mercedes, a Porsche and.... yes, one limo adorned the sidewalk by the entrance.

Now, the entrance was the exciting part! I'm not used to dropping names, but that is how parts of this town work... so I chatted with the girl collecting the cover charge at the door and she called a fellow over. This is "Tommy the Matchmaker." A short fellow, and full of charisma. Yes, he got the message that was left and he'll take care of us. Now, let me take a step back and mention that I am here on a date. I had dismissed Tommy's moniker at first, thinking it was a unique nickname. But I had not done my research on what this club was all about. Apparently, going back to the early 90's this club has had a reputation for being a singles club. Quite a BIG reputation in the area. So much so that the walls are strewn with pictures of couples who met there and have since married. There are also news articles to be found throughout the establishment which have been written about this unique destination. And no... before you ask, I do NOT know the divorce rate of all those happy couples whose pictures are posted for public view.

So he knows exactly who we are, asks us a few questions through conversation, then has us follow him inside. Now, I'm not ready for what came next! He has a PA system pumped through the DJ and announces us as we enter. After getting the club's attention in his now usual charismatic way, he introduces my date and myself... who we are, where we come from, and what we do. Now, my saying it this way sounds boring and blaise, but Tommy made us sound like a million dollars. "...and accompanying him this evening is one of the CIA's most accomplished bio-chemists. She has the best of both worlds; looks that kill, and friends who will do it for her." LOL I didn't remember everyone who was there, but there was the American ambassador to Germany, a federal financier back from an advisory trip to the government of France, several casino guys, etc. Through conversation I also met the owner of a brokerage firm, several kept wives, and ended up spending a lot of time chatting with the VERY wealthy Korean widow of an Italian man who owned several businesses. She had been married twice, and now wore two HUGE... I mean HUGE!! rocks, both on her left hand. She was very intrigued by my date and I, and kept asking questions. Once it came out that she was Korean and I told her about Shelley, we were locked in conversation. Between pumping hands, drinking, and shooting a game of pool... I was CONSTANTLY on the dance floor. OK, so I still have no rhythm. I freely admit to this fact! But also, no one has ever before made the attempt to, you know, teach me to dance. I was always ridiculed and then left to stumble... this by a girl who was a dancer! LOL But Srilatha is a dancer, too, and was giving me some very good pointers. Oh, let me take back one thing... Liz taught me some dances, too. So I guess I'm on the learning curve? But the whole night we're dancing, all eyes were on us and one other couple who would hit the floor. Again, admittedly, I doubt it had anything to do with me, but with the Indian princess wiggling and rhything next to me. SO HOT! Maybe she DOES have some of that spark I was looking for! Where did the quiet reserved girl go? LOL

Friday ended with a rather extensive walk downtown and some good 'ol IHOP eggs and bacon.

Saturday... SHIT! I have to meet Shelley, Pearl, Rudy and Justin at the Smithsonian by noon! ARG! After getting in so late (early?) I just wanted to sleep, but I tossed myself through the shower and trudged on. Latha already had plans with her friends today, so she is rehearsing some skits for a show she is taking part in for the Indian Independence Day and then going to a BBQ/volleyball match with the same friends. I left with plenty of time to reach the Smithsonian, but promptly caught every red light from the end of RT50 to Jefferson. Minor arg. Found the crew and we went exploring. Rudy and I shared similar depths of knowledge concerning ... well, each and every aircraft, rocket, missile, space capsule, or wingflap in the building. That was somewhat funny! After a pricy McDonald's lunch, we went to the Museum of Native American Heritage. This newly-opened museum had quite a lot of architectural touches intended to reflect the values and the traditions of the various native american tribes. Overall? A pretty cool museum. Everyone else stayed with the tour, which only hit the core parts of each section of the museum. I strayed off the path and did my own exploring and learning while remaining 'with' the tour. Lots of cool photos.... though I am still learning how to use the manual settings on the camera and some came out slightly blurred. Bummer.

OH! Shelley! You have the bibliography, correct? She was able to find a number of books with information pertaining to my Tuscaroran heritage. E-mail me that list sometime, I'm eager to find those books!

Well, we all trekked back to Momu's house for dinner Saturday night. Pearl's mom has a beautiful house up in Frederick. We spent much of the night on the deck just chilling and sharing stories. I cannot describe just how GOOD it felt to relax. It felt like the first time in a few weeks where I've just sat back and let go. Most nights I stumble down the hall from work and collapse into bed... forcing myself to read a few pages of whichever book is in front of me before giving in to the coma that awaits. Lately, I've been handling a lot of red alerts at work... often piling up one upon the other... and while I'm not off kilter or affected by the stress adversely, it does just make me feel bone tired at times. Yes, still getting in what exercise I can with a pair of bar-bells and a crunch mat. LOL I've taken to running a bit at night. Yes, running. Not jogging. God did not imbue me with a speed toggle to set to 'Jog'. I can walk, walk briskly, or run like a bat out of hell! LOL Meesa likes it. My cardio is improved and my legs feel stronger. However, after the miles (literally) of walking between Friday and Saturday together... my left hip was beginning to complain this evening before I did the laundry. Bugger.

Oh, so we stayed up to watch The Aviator. Cool flick. It was really a decent film, albeit over three hours long! Given the option, I stayed overnight at Momu's instead of risking the drive back so late. Many dreams! Not the type that express 'something is coming' but the type that are just abstract fictions from my mind. I'll have to jot it down later, because it was a REALLY good plot for a tv show or book. I swear to the Lord Almighty, my dreams are wicked. And if I could remember just portions of them I could sell books like Tom Clancy at a military expo! LOL

Everyone got up late. I couldn't tell what time it was, and after luxuriating and trying to go back to sleep three times I finally got up. It was 10, but it was just me and Momu downstairs. We hung out for a while, but I realized I had a serious case of bed head and excused myself to go freshen up. We went to Mary's place for lunch... another BBQ, YAY! =) Shot a few games of pool... I lost them all, and did I mention that I was somehow sharking the game at Yacht Club?... anyway, EXCELLENT food again and some great people. Suddenly, I have an army of people who have heard my story and are trying to introduce me to people. Everywhere I go... oh, I have a niece in the treasury department, a friend at work who's an underwriter, a this, that and the other thing. It's very nice. Extremely flattering, in fact. I don't picture myself as being as marketable as everyone seems to think. It's nice, but also somewhat uncomfortable. Do I want to find the Love of my life? YES! The sooner, the better. And I'm doing what I can for my part to get there. But every once in a while the whole game feels like a waste of time. That goes with the territory as you ride the tide up and down, and dating is fun, but I've said it before... so get ready to hear it again... all I want is a stable relationship. I want to be with the one I know I'll be with forever, and I want her to feel that way with me, too. No games. Now, I thought that was precisely where I was previously. For my part, it took me a while to realize it to myself, and we all know that it fell apart in the 11th hour. So here I am, a guy looking for love. Finding a lot, actually. And that must be a good thing, I suppose; being wanted, that is. But my own wanter isn't quite wanting anyone else yet. Thought I had one good shot, so I wheeled the old wanter all the way back to CT for nought. It feels like one of those OLD aircraft engines before electric starts where you actually had a primer in the form of a rifle cartridge (no bullet) which you 'fired' into the engine to get it started. And I'm concerned about rationing the cartridges... how many do I have left? How many will I need? And how do I keep from wasting them on false starts without becoming a cold bastard? No, I'm not feeling nearly as melodramatic as my words SOUND. Just saying, you know, when will it be right and ok to love again? With all the depth of feeling and... at least the belief of reciprocation as before? Of course, there are deeper questions I ask, but I hold those cards a bit closer than a public forum as I go forward. Ok, I'm babbling...and y'all have a good idea of how my weekend has been. I'm going to go shower up before Latha comes by. I picked up a copy of Constantine (wide-screen, of course!) that we're going to pop in tonight.

Here's to the new week! (T-Minus Labor Day, and counting!)