I met Jay, Wes, and Robert B. for doubles tennis at the NC State courts at 10:00AM. I warmed up a little with Wes and Jay, until Robert arrived. Robert and I played against Jay and Wes, and we had them 5-1 at one point. They won the next three, so we ended the set at 6-4, our win. Robert and I expected to play another set, but Jay and Wes had decided we weren’t. I was disappointed that they didn’t consult us about it. It was a unilateral decision, not unlike the decision to cancel our match last Wednesday. Oh well. It was great fun playing, and we are all pretty close in skill level, which is what made it so fun.
I created a web page to list all of our Tour de Friends training rides to share with Will and Brian.
I took a shower before The Shower. 🙂
I got to Dawn’s shower at Joye’s at 2:00. Debbie was walking in when I was, and she saw the bottom of my gift, as it was a huge box, and I didn’t wrap the bottom. As it turned out, it was the same thing she had bought for Dawn. Oh well. So much for “Gift Registries.” They said they’d return theirs, and get her the stroller that she wants.
It was real nice to see the Stephensons again – Rob’s three sisters, and his mother. Rob and Thomas were there, too, as was David (Dawn’s brother), and “Uncle Mason” — as far as men go. If you count the gay men as women, there were only two men there — David and Uncle Mason. 🙂
We played, what I guess, are “typical” baby shower games, though I wouldn’t know as this was a first for me. First, we were all given a clothespin to attach somewhere on ourselves. If you heard anyone use the word “baby,” you were to call them on it, and take their clothespin from them. In the end, the one with the most clothespins won. Eventually people started to try and trick people into saying the word. “Hey, what does that say on the cake, I can’t read it.” “Baby.” AHHHH!
We were each asked to write down a bit of advice for the new mother in a little spiral notebook. These bits of wisdom were imparted to the guest of honor at the end of the shower. Mine said something like:
I hope you’ll take the opportunity to expose your little girl to as many different kinds of people, different cultures, and as many different types of life experiences as you possibly can. Live. Love. Laugh.
Dawn read the first one, and being overcome with emotion started crying. Joye took over, and read mine next, and started crying herself. Women.
Rob’s got a good laugh, though he had gone by the time they read it. It said something to the effect of “Let her be fussy, let her be cranky, and let her cry. And remember, a little bit of Nyquil goes a long way.” He didn’t state whether the Nyquil was for mamma or the child.
Other games we played included: answering questions about 24 nursery rhymes (I got 12 of 24 right); recalling 7 baby items, which were covered up after we had 60 seconds to memorize them; and a “Baby Bingo” game, which turned out a little amusing in that Rob’s sister only copied two different bingo cards. So when someone finally BINGOed, half the room did. Hehehehehe. Even with 50/50 chances, I didn’t win. 🙂
I made a hair appointment with Thomas before leaving, and left there feeling very, very good. Rob’s sisters are all so nice to me, and Rob and I actually played the Nursery Rhyme Game together, which was fun. He gave me some bad scoop on a couple of them.
From there, I rode to Steve’s for a quick visit — mostly to see his kitchen, which has been a “work in progress” for several weeks now. It really looks good, and will by dynamite when it’s done. We had some nice “catch up time,” and are both so looking forward to our week in Montreal in a few weeks. He gave me his share of the cost of the trip.
On the way home, I rode by Jeanie-baby’s house, and called her from out front of it. “Guess where I am, Jeanie-baby.”
“Where?”
“1202 Park Avenue,” I said.
It took her a moment to process it, and then she said, “Oh! Really??? What does it look like?” She was disappointed with the report that the shrubbery was overgrown. “I was hoping they’d keep it nice,” she said.
“Well, it was always nice when we were together there, Jeanie-baby, that’s for sure,” I said.
“It sure was,” she replied wistfully.
I had hoped to get home before meeting Joe at Flex, but by the time I got out of Garner, it was 6:30. To kill some time, I stopped by the Krispy Kreme and got one glazed donut and one cinnamon apple filled, with a small cup of coffee, which wasn’t that small. The “hot donuts now” light was on, but I told the woman it was not necessary to go to “the line” to get a hot one — the ones in the glass case at the counter were fine.
When I got to Flex just before 7:00, I had about 3/4ths of a cup left of coffee, and I ordered a shot of half Bailey’s half Kaluha, which I added to the coffee. Yum!
Ben and Dale were there, which was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know they’d be meeting us. We grabbed a pool table, since there was one empty, and Joe arrived in the middle of the first game. We were playing “cut throat,” while waiting for a fourth. I had forgotten how to play, but didn’t realize it. I had chosen 6-10 for my balls, and proceeded to knock the 7 in at which point Dale said, “You hit your own ball in.”
“Yeah? And?” I replied.
Your supposed to hit the other peoples’ balls in. The one with most of their own balls left at the end of the game wins. “Oh. My bad.” 🙂
We played a series of partner games after that, me and Dale against Joe and Ben. We ended up winning 3 games to 2. Not that it’s all about winning. Did I mention winning anything else today already?
Robert arrived between 8:30 and 9, and we played a few more games of pool, for the most part Joe and I taking turns playing him, since we had played so many games earlier.
Karaoke started at 9, and by 10 or 10:30, it was packed in there. Joe sang early, when there still weren’t very many people there. He sang his “standard,” which I love, and he does so well — Billy Vera & the Beaters’ At This Moment.
We left there at about 10:30, and on the way out, that guy that I’ve run into a couple of times at the Long Branch was there, and looking pitiful. He had walked there from the Waffle House on Capital Blvd. and had his shirt off, draped over the back of a chair to dry from the sweat, and he asked me if I’d loan him 10 bucks. Lucky for him, I had about $800 in my wallet (thanks to Steve’s payment, $625 in cash, $100 in a check), and I gave him ten. Though I didn’t tell him this, I consider it a gift. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if ever see it back. I wish I could remember his name. [After reading my journal, Robert told me that his name is Thomas.]
At home, I went to push the bed back, and the footboard broke. Oh well. It’s 30 years old, so old that I think mom and dad had sex in it — it was theirs at one time. Now I can get a black frame, with wheels.
I published the new training ride page to the web, so that Will and Brian can access it tomorrow.
Robert and I half-assed worked on a crossword puzzle, but it was hard, it was late, and we were both tired. Robert got up after about an hour, or hour and a half, an rode home, so as to avoid the traffic nightmare in the morning.