Holiday weekend
Gone by without enough sleep
I should have done more.

There, in haiku, is the summation of this past weekend. Friday, I did a little shopping, picking up two DVD sets (Chappelle's Show Season 2, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Vol. 1), a CD (Pitbull M.I.A.M.I.) and more fuel for the Xbox (the second Splinter Cell game). The damage was nearly a lot worse, but I showed some restraint.

Saturday was a whole lotta nothing, really. I woke up late (for the record, sleep for this past weekend started at 3am, 5am, and 5am), did some much needed grocery shopping, and putzed around the house, splitting time between napping, finishing up the second Ratchet & Clank (an excellent 3-D platformer for you PS2 owners out there), reading (some articles I printed from the internet that will, with any motivation, help flesh out some writing I have planned), some writing (my web presence grows ever larger), and little in terms of much needed housework.

Sunday, I did not participate in a family barbecue, partly because I wanted to keep the day open just in case anything popped up and partly because I need a break. I love my family and I always have fun with them, but I've seen them so much in the last two months due to the parade of birthdays that I did not feel like making the trip. A social gathering, as it turns out, did happen, but it would not have precluded my attendance at the family barbecue. Oh well, at least I got to sleep in, relative to when I would have had to be up to make it to the barbecue. That night, I had dinner and drinks with Los O's and JG, the first time we had all been together at once in what seemed like forever. After, Mr. O, JG and I watched a movie, Anchorman, at JG's spot. A fun, relaxed evening. Even though I got home a bit before 3, I wound up being up even longer because I made the mistake of throwing on Project Gotham Racing 2, which brings out the OCD-gamer in me.

Monday was chore (note the singular) day, as I did a load of laundry and dedicated what little I had left of my holiday weekend to sloth. Oh, I did do a bit more writing, so I guess that is something. And now, I bring the banality to you, bloggie-style!

On the horizon:

The "unofficial" bachelor party for Fletch is this weekend.
Having the last of my clutter being carted off on Thursday.
Should have new furniture to fill the spaces within the next couple of weeks, including a drafting/art table, if I can find a cheap one. (Helloooo, Craigslist)
More writing!
Minor league baseball: I'd like to throw this out there to my peeps. The Potomac Nationals (I had no idea they had changed!) have a home series against the Frederick Keys in a few weeks. We can marvel at new mascot, Uncle Slam, and take in some hot, single-A action. If I didn't have this bachelor party, I'd suggest it for this weekend.

Thursday: had dinner with NV after she failed the Furr'n Service Exam. Fortunately, she was pretty even-tempered about the whole thing and wasn't really depressed that she did not pass. Her sister had taken and failed the exam before, so I think she was really mentally prepared for that outcome. Dinner was good, then we walked around downtown for a while. Was good to see her. I had not seen her since she transferred from AU.

Friday: was supposed to be birthday dinner with Big Lou, but it didn't pan out, as he had fallen ill. He sounded terrible when I called to confirm our plans. We've made plans to reschedule for this week sometime, should he feel better and have the time. I did not really do anything with my new free time, which was nice. Good to be able to wind down the week that way.

Saturday: early to rise so that I could meet with MT to have a bit to eat before going to see Revenge of the Sith. I had higher expectations going into this movie than either of the previous episodes and I am happy to say that they were met and exceeded. The only other thing I will say is that I was a bit disappointed with the way that Mace Windu went out. It wasn't nearly as embarassing as the way Boba Fett went out, but I still expected more. At least he will always have the coolest lightsaber of all time.

That night was the Virginia Wine Party with Los O's. I was unable to score a Virginia wine from my neighborhood liquor stores, so I chose a random chardonnay (Fat Bastard, from France, I believe) as my contribution to the party. It was another fun gathering, despite my normally indifferent attitude toward wine. The people there were all very nice and friendly and provided a lot of entertainment, especially when the evening just boiled down to a few people. With a few of the remaining partygoers sufficiently lubricated, some quality music on the Hi-Fi, including Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk, a 1977 release on Casablanca Records (scroll down nearly halfway to check out a description of the album, the artist, and the cover art), the hilarity was pretty consistent until the end, including a ridiculous cab ride home with Mojo.

Sunday: Nada. Slept late yet again, but not as late as I should have. Had some Chinese food for lunch, and now I'm here, watching G4-Tech TV and blogging. I know I'm your hero.

SOS: Students for an Orwellian Society: Won't someone please think of the children?

Well, when it rains, it pours. On my plate:

-Big Lou's Birthday dinner (mmmm...steak)
-Revenge of the Sith with MT (who, I discovered this morning, got accepted into SMU's Perkins School of Theology to get his D.Min. He is the Obi-Wan to my Luke. Or at least the Bunsen Honeydew to my Beaker.)
-Dinner(s) with NV, who is in town to do the Furr'n Service Exam thing.
-Suburban Wine Tasting avec Les Obergois (Sacrebleu!)
-Laundry (I'm a dirty, dirty boy.)

Plus, I need to get more furniture in and out of my apartment.

And, if I have time, I must hunt down and torture Bono.

Not enough hours in the day, I tells ya.

For three strange days, I had no obligations...

Friday: Cubs vs. Nats at RFK. I joined CO and his gang (wife, a few in-laws, co-workers), as well as JG and his co-worker, for some hot, non-DH baseball action. Unfortunately, I was enraged when I first got there. Between navigating through Dockers nation to even get to the Metro, to having to endure the inane banter of my fellow passengers, to pushing through and ocean of idiocy making my way into the stadium, by the time I reached my seat (which took two attempts, as I misread my ticket--the idiocy is contagious!), I could no longer mask my contempt for humanity. Fortunately, I was able to decompress much faster than expected and enjoyed myself. Post-game, JG, his co-worker and I traipsed through the neighborhood around RFK to find a cab, as enduring the Metro was not exactly a "must-do" event. After about ten or fifteen minutes of walking, we manage to snag one and get ourselves downtown for the night's drinking destination: The Saloon (on U Street, a few doors down from Ben's Chili Bowl). I really enjoyed that place. They had great beer, the surroundings were intimate and conducive to conversation, and they had games to play! I wound up beating a Russian (JG's co-worker) at chess. Three in a row, no less. U-S-A! U-S-A!

Saturday: This day was dedicated to shopping and a bit of cleaning. What did not go to those two endeavors was spent napping or eating. Shopping was for household products, as I'm trying to get the tasteless hovel that I call "home" into shape. So there was a trip to the hardware store and a trip to Staples (nice walks in absolutely gorgoues weather) and finally a trip up to Adams Morgan to hit the CD/Game Exchange, where I purchased nothing. Still, it was worth it for the walk alone. I got back just in time to avoid getting soaked, as the skies opened up probably thirty minutes after I got home. The evening was a quiet one on the couch, basking in the glow of TV, video games, and a long overdue phone conversation with EMT.

Sunday: Wasted day, just about. I woke up at 2:45 (!) and pretty much just putzed around the apartment. Got my first food at 6. The only other thing I did was hit the Black Cat to see the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet play on The Backstage. (My thoughts on the performance can be found here.

All American Weekend!

Actually, before I begin that: Happy Birthday, Carl O! Welcome to XXX. Try not to wreck the place.

Anyway, tomorrow is an evening game of America's Pastime at RFK, watching the displaced Canadian team take on the hapless Chicago Cubs. It's unfortunate that Nomar is busted. It would be nice to have someone to boo.

Saturday will be some sort of spring cleaning. I've already started the disassembly of my apartment. Now I need to wrap it up over the weekend. Beyond that, I think I'll be hanging with Big Lou during the day, with a possible trip to Bethesda squeezed in.

Sunday will be a jazz performance at The Black Cat, featuring German jazz legend Peter Brotzmann. I'm expecting a blowout of terrific proportions. Hopefully, I'll have something interesting to say about it over in mein music blog.

Tonight was my monthly night out with ES. As is our custom when we hang out on Friday nights, it means dinner and games. Tonight's game of choice was the incredibly addicting Lego Star Wars. The game is almost laughably easy, but superb fun all the same. It's probably more fun if you're a Star Wars nerd, but even if you're not, the art (who knew it was possible to make Darth Maul adorable?), storyline gameplay, and free play modes should be sufficient to suck in even the casual gamer. It's amazing how the Star Wars series of video games have turned around; it used to be that the success rate was extremely low. But with the Knights of the Old Republic Series, Bounty Hunter, Battlefront, and now Lego Star Wars, they are on quite a hot streak. Hopefully, Episode III (both the movie and the game) will be just as good.

"Chappelle's Show" Shut Down

This sucks. First guess: it's the cheeba. The stickiest of the icky. Second guess: Dave is a really sensitive perfectionist who is crumbling under the pressure to produce a season that will live up to the hype and millions of dollars invested in him. Occam's Razor says...

Oh well. I hope he can pull it together and get the new season done.

(Thanks to EMT for the heads up.)

Spotlighting sports in the Sportlight Spotlight

Heckuva game tonight between the Wizards and the Bulls. I tells ya, if the Wizards knew anything about second half defense, they could actually make a real impact in the playoffs. As it is, while it's impressive that they seem to be on their way to winning a first round series in ages, beating a depleted Bulls team in less than convincing fashion isn't the way to gain confidence with Shaq and the Heat on the horizon. Honestly, as much as I'm pulling for the Wizards to make some noise (especially since my sorry, no-account Hawks are once again the laughingstock of the league and won't get better any time soon, since the #1 pick will "miraculously" wind up going to the lottery-bound Lakers), if Curry and Deng had made it to the post-season, I think this series would have already ended, especially the way the Wiz have lapsed in the second half of the last two games. Here's hoping that these two collapses will toughen them up for game six, because they seem to be the kind of team that could very well be thinking about round two already. Playoff inexperience and youth, don'tcha know.

I have to admit it: I'm actually enjoying the NBA playoffs. It's been a while since I've been able to honestly say that, but the games I've been able to catch have been fun. I'd love for there to be a Phoenix vs. Washington final, but that's not going to happen. We'll likely get Miami or Detroit vs. San Antonio, which should be ultra-competitive, but rarely high-octane. Nothing wrong with that; I'm just a sucker for a fastbreak.

Hey! Kentucky Derby this weekend. I have no idea what's what. My junior high self (the one that was addicted to horse racing, thanks to "Swing For the Fences" Big Lou) is weeping.

Football: I haven't much to say, except that the current state of the Miami Dolphins quarterbacks is the most pitiful I've seen it in my lifetime. Not even the laughable days of just a few seasons ago when Damon Huard (Huardball running wild!) was "managing" the offense and clowns like Cade McNown and Jim Druckenmiller were on the sidelines was this bad. A.J. "We Traded A Second Round Pick To The Eagles And All We Got Was This Lousy Quarterback" Feely sucks, and I'm not interested to see what he can do. I think we know what he can do, and adding Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to the backfield won't make him better. Hell, adding Randy Moss would not have made him better. He's a serviceable backup, slightly less talented than Gus Frerotte, the current #2 and, I'm guessing, eventual #1. To add insult to injury, Brock Berlin--the only quarterback from "The U" that I've never really cared for--has been brought into camp. (I haven't been reading the wires, so if he's already cut, well, good.) Meanwhile, The Ultimate Sage Rosenfels Experience continues to get ignored. And even though he hasn't done anything to prove he should be given a shot, I still have this hunch that the kid is good and is just being wasted. It's sad. How they went from Marino to this motley crew of turd polishers (and Sage) is beyond me.

Baseball: Fuck baseball. I keed. I will say this: I don't have Nats fever, I hate that Baltimore is doing well, and I have not kept up with the A's at all, except for the morning box scores. I have no idea who is doing what for that team. I think one of the reasons why I cannot keep up with baseball is because the people who do the baseball shows on TV are all terrible. I can't watch a show like Baseball Tonight because I cannot stand anybody on there. I think my days of being a "true" baseball fan (whatever that means) are well behind me.

Plus: I am really, really tempted to pick up God of War and Jade Empire, but will not do so for several reasons. However, for any readers who have a PS2 or Xbox (respectively), go do yourself a favor and pick those games up if you haven't already.

And away I go!