S&S BBQ, KateBBQ, family dinner, ACLU & Terry Tate :)

Headed out to Bill Ryerson's house in Broad Run for the annual Seal and Serpent Society--whose website has improved drastically since last I'd checked it--picnic. (Bill is an alumnus, class of '60something, very active in alumni activities, former First Ambassador to Albania, chock full of interesting stories, and gracious host to this annual event.) I rode out, knowing that a) his road is entertainingly hilly and winding, and b) the weather forecast was good. Present were Mike Hedrick, Dan Duval, Nick Seeley (drove down from NYC), Dylan Williams and his Russian girlfriend, and assorted older alumni and their wives, whose names I've forgotten. Hung out there from about 1600 (after missing a turn and having to backtrack) until shortly before 2000, when I called Christine and then antikate to a) verify that there were still ongoing festivities at Kate's parents' house, and b) to get directions.

Festivities were indeed still going on, directions were straightforward, and only about 20 miles from Bill's (Broad Run) to Kate's (Loudoun, somewhere northeast of 50/15/Gilberts Corner.) There, I found Kate, her parents, Christine, Dom and Crystal (whom I'd been told I had to meet, and they were both very cool/interesting people), and Mike Makowsky! Hadn't seen Mike since crew in high school, but once he saw through my lack of glasses and presence of facial hair, he remembered who I was. :D Had some very tasty cheesecake and coffee, and hung out there chatting--at least half the time with Kate's dad about motorcycles, as he's had four in his lifetime, plans to get another soon, and was impressed by mine--until, oh, 2200 or so. From there, in the unexpectedly godawful humidity, I followed Christine back to her apartment, read her Mark Twain's entertainingly scathing "A Visit to Niagara," slept, and headed home some time after a late breakfast. :)

Conveniently, I just managed to miss the rain that was rolling in--grey skies in DC, a bit of a sprinkle before I hit 295, dry all the way back home, and the rain didn't start until I was home and inside a while. :) (It's a nice warm rain, though--I went out in it during a lull to towel off my bike and put the cover on.) In a few hours, I meet family (immediate and extended) at a restaurant in Alexandria, as my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim--originally from Alexandria, Chicago for several years, now Boston, haven't seen since their son's wedding in late '99--happen to be in the area. :)

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Nice! From kitiara: ACLU Quits Federal Donation Program: Group Refuses to Use Anti-terrorist Watch List. Bravo.

And via megachrisgt: Terry Tate goodness! In order:
http://www.geekery.net/binaries/lastexit_terrys_world_isdn.wmv (5.4MB)
http://www.geekery.net/binaries/lastexit_sensitivity_training_dsl.wmv (19MB)
http://www.geekery.net/binaries/lastexit_draft_day_isdn.wmv (4.8MB)
http://www.geekery.net/binaries/lastexit_vacation_3_isdn.wmv (4.4 MB)
http://www.geekery.net/binaries/lastexit_ospn_dsl.mov (21MB)

Fun with Family

Good times, good times. Headed up to Ramparts in Alexandria around 1600, passing inexplicably heavy traffic on 95S as I headed north. (I later learned that an accident much further south was the cause.) Found the restaurant with no difficulty, and was directed to the private room where I found Mary & Jim, Nancy & Miguel, mom & dad, Matt & Steph & Brendan, Pat & Bill, and Mike & Lillian. Conversation was boisterous, food and drink were good--including Smithwick's, a dark-but-not-bitter beer, Dominion Oak Barrel Stout, and a taste of Johnnie Walker Black (because they didn't have blue) from Jim's glass, which many of us sampled--and a good time was had by all.

Afterward, most (if not all) of us trekked the 5-10 minutes over to Pat & Bill's house, where we had some Snickers-esque pie, and some more sedate conversation. (We also discussed "short snorters," a term that has quite a number of non-definitive usages, most relating to military travel and drinking. The reason for this was that, in his wallet, Bill (my dad's uncle) has a 1935-issue U.S. dollar bill (technically, a "One Dollar Silver Certificate") signed by a plane-ful of fellow soldiers during a flight on 20Nov1943 from Washington, DC to Cairo, Egypt, and we were trying to figure out what exactly the significance or history of the term "short snorter" was. :)

Eventually, everyone wandered off toward home, and I almost missed the poorly-marked 395 exit from Glebe Road as I followed my parents on their way to 66. Tomorrow, or at the latest Tuesday, I expect to hear (and hope to receive a job offer) from ADIC. Could happen!