A Weekend Recap: R.L.P. Visits

The title of this post is slightly misleading. This isn't a weekend recap at all. If I recapped my weekend, I'd bore you to tears. And chances are, my action packed recounts already do that. As the recaps go by, I realize more and more how little people might care about what my weekending entails. I get it. But I keep posting because this lingering blog here, without a true focus, needs words (and pictures!) to keep it alive.

Friday night, having forced myself to keep my calendar open the majority of weekends going forward, I was free when a friend made an unannounced visit to town. My friends and I met after work at Rocket Bar for a couple rounds of pool and cocktails.

(Is it just us in Washington, D.C. with the luxury of such flexible Fridays? I find it an unlikely chance in other cities that six friends are free of work obligations at 4:00 pm at the end of the week. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me we're spending tax dollars wisely.)

When hunger struck, we headed to Hill Country Barbeque for dinner. This has been on my DC Bucket List for awhile now... and I'm glad I finally made it there. The brisket was superb, for those of us in the market for a Friday night of over eating. I will definitely go back. The meat was even better than my favorite local barbeque establisment, Rocklands, though Rocklands still takes home the prize for their heavenly sides, the macaroni of which was served last night at S.D.G.'s Sunday Night Football party--delicious.

Photographic evidence of me being free for spontaneous fun on a Friday night.

Then it was time to catch Game 3 of the World Series. We migrated to Penn Quarter Sports Tavern for viewing. And the minute I sat my overstuffed stomach down, I knew my wild and crazy night on the town was going to be short lived. I made it through the fifth inning before catching Metro home. This had me in bed before midnight, a personal preference.

I woke up to good news: The Kansas City Royals pulled off their second win of the series, hooray. As goes with sports, they wound up blowing both games on Saturday and Sundays, leaving them a game back. Based on the Royals' performance in the Post Season, I still have a faith. If the Royals win, I'll celebrate as if they've been my team all along because I'm not certain to see the Atlanta Braves in a World Series, let alone win a World Series, anytime soon. I'm trying to remain as neutral a bandwagon fan can. I effortlessly find disappointment cheering for my actual team during multiple points in a season. I don't need 'bandwagon blues' added to my woes. Forget the realist in me, GOOO Royals!

Trying to keep the agenda free and my emotions in check... to winning.

Another Baltimore Weekend

I am the worst storyteller. As I was drafting this weekend's recap, one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was unsure what it was I was writing about. This is my storytelling life--losing my point in the midst of embedding each tale with tangent after tangent.

I'm trying this again, with fewer tangents.

The majority of my weekend occurred in Baltimore, Maryland with my dear friend, K.A.B. Having visited Baltimore recently enough, the agenda wasn't overly ambitious. Though, I was happy to be back. After this trip, I'm pulled more towards Baltimore. And I have narrowed the reason slightly. I mentioned Baltimore reminded me of Detroit, Michigan previously, and while that's still holds true, it's the slower paced lifestyle I'm attracted to. The atmosphere is a conglomerate of both a 'harbor town' and a Midwestern one. A win, win. Further, and perhaps more importantly, all Washington, D.C. lacks in culture, Baltimore makes up for over-and-over again. Even in D.C.'s various neighborhoods, the populations are homogenous. This city, D.C., will always hold a special place in my heart, but the more I leave, the more my lust for this city wanes.  

Onwards.

Friday, I got off work a little early after attending an all-day Intro to Big Data Workshop. I usually dread conferences because, this early in my career, they still tend to fly over my head. And this one did not disappoint in that category, however, the first half was fabulous; I absorbed as much as I could as I was flooded with good information. I walked away with a much clearer understanding and increased interest in Big Data, a nice change of pace from the day-to-day office grind. I raced home, though I took the long route because hello fall weather. Please, pretty please, stay forever. And then some. After an hour with the television, I dressed for K.D.S.'s Light the Night Walk fundraiser at a bar conveniently located in my front yard, yet a bar I've never before ventured in to. 

I essentially showed my face, since I was sound asleep before 9:00 pm (in order to be awake at 5:00 am). Long run Saturdays, I will not miss you. After a 22-mile run, I stretched and rolled and iced. But mostly celebrated surviving. After which I showered and proceeded with my half-finished day.

It could be I'm so fond of Baltimore because I'm also fond of eating. We started with a late lunch at Shoo Fly Diner, where a chicken fried biscuit did not satiate my runger (i.e., running hunger). From there, we picked up K.A.B. and headed directly to the Cross Street Market for The Pretzel Twist's pretzels and Berger Cookies. Then, we watched the Boston Red Sox lose to the Baltimore Orioles in a not at all close game. We had time to taxi to Fells Point for loaded hot dogs at Stuggy's while the Clemson Tigers/Florida State University game paused for halftime. When the game concluded, in the most unfavorable way, I wondered why I'd forced myself to stay up and engage. 

On Sunday, we continued eating at City Cafe, where I devoured a juicy burger. And before the burger, this heavenly cinnamon roll appeared right before my eyes. I clearly had to eat that as well. I thought my cinnamon rolls were the best ever. This might have been better. There was also some incredible iced coffee served. And I'm a sucker for a good iced coffee, obviously. Who knew this paired so well with the burger?

Be forewarned, this is a vaguely relate-able tangent: On the burger front, who is aware that milkshakes are now featured on select Five Guys' menus, including the one near my office? Boyfriend and I have been pining for this for years. If only all our wishes were granted. The verdict is still out as to whether the quality is up to that of their burger. I will let you know, for sure. Though I'm running all the miles and burning all the calories, at this point I've mentioned my fried chicken biscuits, pretzels, cookies, Crab Mac Dog, and burger. I also had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at some point in between all the other eating. Needless to say, I need a few vegetables before my next Five Guys outing. Lame.

We headed home shortly after brunch, arriving in D.C. in exactly half the time it took us to get to Baltimore the day before. I was quite appreciative all the dreaded highways were so cooperative on this sunny Sunday afternoon. I evaded all the chores and watched football, while taking care of a few menial computer tasks, the remainder of the day.

This weekend was both long and short. Long in that lots happened at a relatively relaxed pace throughout the weekend. Short in that the agenda was back-to-back, so that when 5:00 pm on on Sunday came, I could hardly believe it was time to prepare for another work week. The weekend was sadly over, and seemingly, quick.

It's a new day. Though this new day is a Monday, an ever dreaded Monday.

Charleston: Day 3, A Bad Beach Day

Then, there was Sunday. Just the two of us--Boyfriend and me--at the beach amidst a lot of wind. But prior to, a 12-mile run over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and around the Shem Creek for old time sake. I fell in love with the Shem Creek and I wasn't ready to part with Charleston without spending some (more) time (running) along side it. I hope I made it very clear how neat the wedding venue was last night.

USS Yorktown

After a hotel breakfast, we headed back to Folly Beach. And on this not so glorious Sunday, Folly Beach was exactly the Folly Beach I remember it being--brutal wind carrying loads of sand across the beach, a ruthless undertow, and seagulls galore. So in less words, a 'hard work' beach day. I managed to finish my book, though completely doused in sand. I rinsed in the ocean, where I quickly learned I also wouldn't be lounging. Boyfriend and I opted for a long walk on the beach, since swimming and tanning were out. At this point, we were hot and sandy--coated by sand regardless of our position. We opted to make the most of the waves, walking to the pier and floating our way back to where we'd staked out for the day. This was fun for two runs until Boyfriend lost his expensive sunglasses and my appetite started talking. We certainly made the most of our final beach day before trying to find transportation back to the hotel, which turned out to also require a large effort.

My stomach was screaming for food by the time we were showered and ready to do some evening exploring. We stopped at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for pure decadence; dessert before dinner, yes, please. I have been hearing about this place for sometime and, turns out, a shop opened in Charleston two months prior to our visit. To which I say, perfect timing. We went there not once but twice during our short stay. I cannot recommend this place enough. There locations are limited, but if you're in their territory, do yourself a flavor and stop on in. I'll be visiting Jeni's on my upcoming trip to Chicago, for sure. And I've sent my Atlanta-based brother to his local Jeni's for goodness already.

From there, we headed to the Bay Street Biergarten for drinks and socializing with the friends we’d “neglected” all day. The windy beach brought wonderful temperatures to the downtown area, so--my stomach still screaming for food--my friends closed their tab and we rode in a golf cart to Henry's Bar and Restaurant for a rooftop dinner. I don't recommend Bay Street Biergarten or Henry's, however, what these places lacked, the company made up for it.

The night continued at Henry’s, until I--sooner than most--finally called it quits. With another successful day of travel under my belt, I refused to set the alarm on our final day of vacation.

Charleston: Day 2

Our second day began with breakfast and coffee at Wildflower Pastry. This didn't make my "original" to visit list, however, it was in close proximity to the hotel and I'm easily convinced in the direction of pastries. The scones were fabulous (and actually filling, too). We were joined by three of my favorites: A.J.S., K.A.B., and S.D.G. As we munched, we reminisced and it was fabulous. Afterwards, I picked up sunscreen and this crew minus one headed for Folly Beach. It was another scorcher and I can't imagine being anywhere but the beach. We spent all of five minutes on our towels because the ocean bath water was more tolerable. Later, we were joined by some friends. And we continued, splashing and playing catch and laughing and riding "waves" until it was time to pack up and head back downtown.

Showers ensued. And snack time. And a bit of pleasure reading, as that time was missed on the beach.

Then it was wedding time, so we walked towards our pick-up spot and joined all of our nicely dressed friends. We learned from those who check email on vacation, the dress code was changed to "heat wave chic" to accommodate the relentless sun. The wedding crowd was bussed over to Cottage on the Creek on Mount Pleasant. And the venue ranks highly in my list. It almost made me want to have a wedding. Almost, Mom. Right there in on the Shem Creek. We sipped (more) cocktails as the sun set around us. I'm such a sucker for sun sets... and we lucked out with a true beauty. There was Southern food for dinner. As soon as the plates were cleared, we were up dancing. And we danced until the bar and music were shut down, which seemed like only seconds.

There were dolphins (though I'm lacking photographic evidence), kayakers galore, and a floating hot dog boat on the Shem Creek. 

I opted out of the after party because sleep.

Charleston, South Carolina: Day 1

May I preface vacation with the 'apartment to myself' time I was granted while Boyfriend was off with his boyfriend drinking all things carbonated. I crave alone time. I also crave relaxation, something I haven't quite mastered in my time on earth. After completing all the pre-vacation essentials, I read before blissfully crashing in bed, the only form of relaxing I know. There could be more of these nights.

After arriving in Charleston, South Carolina late on Thursday night, I refused to my alter my 6:00 am running agenda because it was slotted to be a true to form August day (i.e., SO very hot and humid). I ran to Charles Town Landing, where I wanted to spend the day exploring; there were birds galore at this early hour. I snapped a few photos and continued on my way, clocking in at a nice eight minute mile pace for the course of eight miles. If Charleston is hot and humid, it's also as flat as a pancake. Amen. Enough about running, there's a full day of activity is on the docket to report. 

First up, Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer. I sat down with my iced coffee at 9:30 am, while Boyfriend perused the beer menu until beer was being sold, half an hour after my purchase. We sipped happily in vacation mode, while people watching and reviewing the day's agenda. From coffee (and beer), we wandered up King Street, the shopping mecca of Charleston, to Two Boroughs Larder for breakfast. In route, we spotted Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts and had to stop in. The donuts were supreme and we were gifted a free donut, hooray! We actually made way to our breakfast stop after the donuts appetizer, where shortly after we were joined by several of our friends, the early arrivers. The breakfast sandwiches were delightful. And I ate my heart into merriment.

We lingered at breakfast for some time before heading to City Market for browsing. The temperature was over 100 degrees at this point and the heat index read even higher. While I was ready to stroll The Battery at an easy pace, the group voted for cold drinks at Southend Brewery & Smokehouse. I surrendered to group mentality. Maturity.

Afterwards, I needed lunch or dinner so we stopped in a Brown Dog Deli, where it was ultimately hard to choose from the sandwiches options that sounded all kinds of good. Boyfriend and I narrowed our choices to two, splitting the Apple "Butter" Jeans and a corned beef sandwich, of which the name I'm blanking on. We opted to walk to the hostel, after kindly being told I eat too much, while the rest of the crew opted for an Uber, following this meal. The walk was hot but the streets of Charleston are so quaint and I wanted to make sure Boyfriend saw all of them before we left on Monday, even if it was a bazillion percent humid.

At this point, it was time--the reason for our being in Charleston--for the Peace Corps Lesotho Education 2010 Reunion to commence. We were actually there to celebrate S.L.P. and E.L.P.'s nuptial; they quite graciously invited our entire Ed '10 Class (plus a few stragglers from classes behind ours), hence... a the reunion. We mingled over cocktails on the Not So Hostel balcony, while the last of the group trickled in. At 8:00 pm, we met the Bride and Groom at Warehouse for appetizers and more spirits. I had a cocktail that seemed as though it was made specifically for me, titled Employees Only. All I remember is there was jalapeno tequila and a fruit roll-up flower inside each glass of heaven.

At midnight to the dismay of the group, I made a clean escape for bed.

I am 27.

Family and friends, thank you for making “my day” wonderful. And by day, I mean extended weekend. Because I started celebrating on Thursday. At this point, I think I have 27 things to be thankful for, potentially more. My coworkers kicked off the party by treating me to lunch at Nando’s, where we dined on all things Peri-Peri flame-grilled chicken. After lunch I was further spoiled with cupcakes. While my peers were not quite willing to swap meals for desserts—my original birthday request was for donuts, ice cream, or pie, they still willingly satisfied my sweet tooth with Red Velvet Cupcakery.

As we moved one day closer to my birthday, I was one of four people (on my team) at the office. After refusing yet another lunch, my coworker—the same one who already paid for my cupcake—treated me to Starbucks. We all know my undying love for all things coffee, especially Starbucks! Free Starbucks! She was not satisfied with my standard—‘boring and lame’—Tall Iced Coffee order, upgrading me to a Grand Iced Latte. Thou shall not complain.

When the weekend eventually came… Boyfriend and I headed to Rice Paper to begin things right. The meal was spectacular as always. We lamented about the time that has passed since our last visit and how we will not, under any circumstance, allow for that to occur moving forward. I essentially ate myself into a food comma because I was passed out on the coach prior to 9:00 pm while God Loves Uganda played in the background.

My (actual) birthday was upon us. And it was time to celebrate, first with donuts! The clock struck 6:34 am… and I put my walking shoes on. Before I hit the door, Boyfriend wanted to fool-proof our plan to grab coffee at Filter Coffeehouse, then walk and pause for donuts at three close-ish shops. Walk. Sip. Eat. Repeat until Astro Donuts & Fried Chicken, Golden Brown Delicious (GBD), and Woodward Takeout Food (WTF) were all accounted for. This is when he learned Astro Donuts & Fried Chicken opens at 9:00 am, GBD unlocks at 10:00 am, and WTF is closed on weekends. Since I had plans to meet my parents at the Fish Market around the time of GBD’s opening, I “settled” for a Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe, an Arlington establishment with respectable hours and a decent location. There were pastries of all kinds. When I finished my admiring and roaming, I no longer felt as though I was settling. I purchased four donuts. (I had to make up for Boyfriends pathetic order—one donut. Fact: He’s not a morning eater.) We got home, plated them. And I began my feast.

I made a quick trip to the farmers’ market after neglecting it for most of the summer. And also because I wanted to replicated the Baltimore Farmers’ Market and Bazaar experience from previous weekend in my backyard. This was mostly pretend play; my market has nothing on Baltimore. I purchased some pretty zucchini to perpetuate my love for Mel. And some peaches because I have not had fruit in days and my body is going into shock as a result. Just as the humidity increased, it was then time to board Metro for the Maine Avenue Fish Market. My parents met us moments after our arrival and shopping ensued. We were an indecisive bunch, ultimately deciding on two dozen Chincoteague oysters and a whole Red Snapper. I also thought an entire pound of ceviche was a good idea. We prepared a hefty meal and dined as though it were Thanksgiving at 1:00 pm on an August afternoon.

The eating continued at the wine and cheese party Boyfriend and I attended later that afternoon. S.A.K. brought donuts and A.J.S. made Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies to commemorate the occasion. (Of note, A.J.S. also made wheat thins. Also of note, she cooked about as much popcorn (and nothing else) as I did in Peace Corps. Oh—together—how far we’ve come!) Boyfriend and I partied WAY later than I intended, which meant I essentially went straight to the unmade bed I left at 6:34 am when I awoke.

I rose bright and early on Sunday to run forever before Six Flags. I was glad to have that crossed off the list first thing. In ever the rush, I stretched as Boyfriend packed our bag. Then we took off for the park, where we proceeded to spend the rest of the day in waterslide and rollercoaster glory. The day was awesome, although l-o-n-g. And altogether a grand success, especially considering we were not among the 24 unlucky passengers stranded on the Joker’s Jinx for hours.

To close the weekend, I lasted about three innings of the final game of the Atlanta Braves/Washington Nationals series before calling it a night. There was no need to sacrifice sleep in the name of poor baseball. First thing this morning—to my delight, I learned the Braves won. My birthday twin, Jason Heyward, did not receive a 'W' on our day (after a grueling three-hour and 41-minute rain delay and an extra innings loss); he did, however, take the birthday weekend series-win from our division rivals following an eight-game skid. We might indeed still have the Nationals' card.

Another workweek and year have arrived; Monday and 27 feel one and the same.  

Charm City

This weekend I was back on the road. And as mentioned, Baltimore was the destination. I was assigned tour guide, hooray. While in most cities I’m out to explore new ‘off the beaten path’ gems, in Baltimore, I know what I like and make sure to hit up these locales almost every time I’m there, which is less frequently than I would like. Baltimore is neat city; I’m glad we’re so close. I’m also glad the MARC Train now runs on weekends.

These are my ‘must visit’ spots:

• Walk the National Harbor
• Eat Pretzels at Cross Street Market
• Have Brunch at Miss Shirley’s
• Find Berger Cookies at Lexington Market

For something new on this trip, I wanted to take Boyfriend to Heavy Seas Alehouse. I also wanted to

experience Artifact Coffee and ShooFly Café.

I did not actually make it to Baltimore as early as I had hoped on Friday. Oh well, that’s life. Once Boyfriend and A.J.S. arrived, we headed to Heavy Seas Alehouse for dinner. It was not the atmosphere I was expecting. Boyfriend sold this place as a brewery, but turns out, the actual brewery is in Annapolis… so instead envision a bar. They also didn’t have Boyfriend’s favorite brew. The food and cocktails though were good, even if overpriced. The rest of the group joined us late in our meal and quickly munched down dinner. We headed towards Fell’s Point from there and decisively landed at The Admiral’s Cup. There was live music. And shots we were too old to be taking. We chatted and danced into the wee hours. By the time I hit the sack, it was almost my normal rise.

Needless to say, I did not run Saturday (or Sunday). When I finally, and I do mean finally, rallied the troops we headed to Miss Shirley’s for brunch, or lunch on my watch. And Shirley did not disappoint. We then walked around the National Harbor, up to Federal Hill, around towards Cross Street Market (but not actually to Cross Street Market—no pretzels this trip, boo), and last over to Lexington Market. The weather, for August, was nice and the threat of rain held off the entire day. A great day for a walking tour! The rest of the afternoon was spent sleeping; I guess we wore ourselves out. For dinner, we stumbled into Alewife and I’m glad we did. The fish tacos on homemade tortillas were absolute perfection. I cannot even explain. I’m only upset I traded one-for-one with Boyfriend for a Wild Boar Slider. The slider was yummy, just not when compared with my fish tacos. Turns out, this establishment is a fan favorite in Baltimore and ranks favorably in the ‘Cheap Eats’ category. There were also a million beers on tap, making for a happy Boyfriend. To boot, the restaurant was decorated with local art for sale, all of which was very neat.

Half of the group left early-ish on Sunday morning, while the remaining four of us went to Baltimore’s Farmer’s Market and Bazaar, where we spent the entire morning. This is definitely one of the best famer’s markets I have ever been to. I wanted everything and managed to indulge in such way—blackberries, cinnamon rolls, paratha. The prices were very reasonable too. I say that rarely these days. I settled for Zeke’s Coffee as Artifact was a bit out of our way. I am not sure it was worth the line we stood in it for, however, I liked the option for iced coffee at a farmer’s market.

I arrived home—starving and exhausted—and spent the rest of the evening reading, in solitude. The stimulation of the weekend truly took it out of me. I also went to bed at 8:00 pm on Monday, still totally wiped.

There are more visits to Baltimore in my future.

Alternative Work Schedule

I have some good news on the work horizon. That’s right, good news. My contract is entering the second and final option year, come late September. And as a result, things are being switched up a bit. As of this week, I officially have an alternative work schedule, the one I have dreamed of all my contracting days. This means, Monday through Thursday I work 8:30 am to 6:00 pm; I have every other Friday off; and the ‘working’ Fridays, I will work the standard 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There are certainly pros and cons to this agenda. But for me personally, the pros outweigh the cons.

The ultimate pro is definitely the biweekly Friday off. Rather conveniently, I am going to Baltimore this weekend. And I realized I will not be rushing up to Baltimore with all the commuter train traffic. I can go at my leisure after some form of exercise and cleaning and laundry chores are completed. I can go whenever I want because I have the entire day off. The. Entire. Day. More, for this particular weekend, my afternoon arrival should allow for some one-on-one time with K.A.B. before 92 other Returned Peace Corps Volunteers join us for a pre-reunion weekend.

Further though, an unexpected plus thus far on the alternative work schedule front is the livelier streets (at 6:00 pm) during the walking portion of my commute. I am also back to commuting with Boyfriend in the morning. That results in more together time and less reading time, a tough toss-up.

The longer days might be a drag when the days get shorter. The days are long now, so I don’t notice a real difference between five and six. I should also note that all my coworkers had this schedule “forced upon” them, which helps diminish the difference between a 5:00 and 6:00 pm departure. At least on day one, two, and three. 

The daunting nine-hour day is easily dismissed after a quick analysis of the calendar: I’m slated for a four day Labor Day weekend—pro. Pros, from now until September 2015. 

Looq Here: C.D.H. Visits and Another Weekend Captured

Are you sick of weekend recaps? I’m not. So on I will write. And as to whether you continue on reading is entirely up to you.

At this point in my life, The Blog is a place to talk about the weekends I live for as my job is oh so rough. Even yesterday, a day that was supposed be easy breezy, collapsed before my eyes. We had a Team Lunch scheduled to watch the United States/Germany World Cup game at one of my favorite Washington, D.C. establishments, Busboy’s and Poets.  But the following events supervened: First, our 90-minute Team Meeting ran over. Then Busboy’s and Poets released our table by the television, the only television, to another party. This required Busboy’s and Poets to set up a projector in the back, since our Team Captain specifically requested a table within view of The Game in the reservation. And, last, the projector did not work, so instead of relocating to a more spirited environment, we listened to the game… not actually watching any. I monitored the play-by-play on Twitter and angrily stewed.

This is why I don’t talk about The Dark Period, my nine to five. I already have to endure it. I find extending the day by venting to family, to friends, to the world unhealthy.

Last week, my brother drove up from Atlanta, GA to visit the family in Northern Virginia. And I’m not sure who was most excited to see him; my excitement level was pretty high! Though he arrived on Tuesday, I had to wait until Thursday night to see him. When that time came, I walked over to Nationals Park, where I was meeting both of my brothers for a Washington Nationals/Atlanta Braves game. C.D.H. is not a Braves superfan; it was pure coincidence the Braves were in town to battle the Nationals. I do, however, appreciate his taking the time to indulge me for a game. I teleworked on Friday, providing time for a Starbucks run with my brothers before heading out to the suburbs for the weekend. We made time for Melt on Friday because duh. And we might have over-consumed leaving us not as hungry for the Birthday Boy’s dinner at Fords Fish Shack. I still feel as though I managed to consume my fair share. Everything I put in my mouth was delicious, specifically the French fries. Afterwards I watched the second game in the Braves/Nationals series (on DVR), then hit the sack. 

On Saturday, C.D.H. and I met up with Boyfriend and some friends at the Northern Virginia Beer Fest. There was kettle korn, so this designated driver was delighted. And the rain held off. And Louis got to join us briefly before I was escorted out by police—no dogs allowed, dumb. Despite Boyfriend probably having contracted Lyme Disease, it was a wonderful time with wonderful people. I hear the beer was nice too!

My mom graciously gifted me a Looq, a selfie arm; oh the joy! 

My parents cooked an incredible dinner on Saturday night. We all sat around and ate merrily.

I mostly remember sitting around waiting for the 6:00 pm start of the US/Portugal World Cup match on Sunday. And I think we the people of the United States of America will forever remember how that game ended – a final play in the final seconds – in a deflating blow. (But hey, writing a week later pays off, we’re moving on to the Round of 16 – Belgium beware!) There was a run to the dog park with Louis, which my friends and I might have enjoyed even more than Louis—oh the spectating to be had!

Leaving home is always hard, especially so when it means saying goodbye a brother I’m not sure when I’ll see next.