Blue Ridge Brothers

Made it back to SF from DC in one piece last night.  After a long day of travel yesterday, the five days are beginning to mush together, and I don't want it all to blur.  So I felt it was necessary to jot down some of the highlights of the five days:

1.  A smooth red-eye flight from SF to Minnesota to DC without any "Atlanta Encounters."  Such a breeze of a flight.  Sat next to a skinny man who never moved and had a keen awareness of himself in space.  My bag was the first out of the gate in baggage claim.  I didn't even have to break stride from plane to bag to car.  

2.  Cruising in John's new Subaru.

3.  Greasy-egg, potato-hash brunches.  Endless refills of coffee.  No time constraints/worries.  Ok, but probably too much coffee. 

4.  An hour swim in the DC Municipal Pool with John followed by ten (minutes, not guys) in the jacuzzi.  Finally, we both got to see each other in Speedos. 

5.  Beers, Basketball, Brothers & Bubba.  Will's train arrived from Phili, met us at John's apt.  Walked a block to delicious pizza and beer (most of which I had never tried before - east coast brew).  Walked next door.  Watched NBA Playoffs while being serenaded by the most unassumingly impressive guitarist/singer - think a more toned down Larry the Cable Guy. I'm sure his name wasn't Bubba, but I'd like to imagine it was. 

6. The three of us in John's studio.  Will and John sharing his (John's) full sized bed for a night.  Will assaulted by John's snoring, getting no sleep, and subsequently getting his own hotel room the next night. 

7. Walking around Georgetown with brothers.  All of us catching up on sleep during the critically-acclaimed- but in actuality critically-awful - movie "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" in 3D at AMC.  Half way through asking John if he was bored.  Him responding "very."  Us both dying of laughter like we were in church and not supposed to laugh. 

8.  A fifty-minute run through beautiful, green DC trails with John.  

9.  Comedy show @ Constitution Hall ft. Jim Norton, Bill Burr, Jim Brewer, and Dave Attell.  They all killed it.  But we're more partial to Burr. 

10.  A great visit with some of the East Coast Cousins and their adorable little monsters in Virginia.

11.  Going to the gym at 8 pm so John could stop jumping off the walls after his late-afternoon expresso.  Followed by dinner and drinks at "Breadsoda" with John and his neighbor Kara.  Watching John get hit on by members of a bachlorette party.  Later, proudly watching John try to convince the owner of Breadsoda that he (the owner) needs to put a skeeball machine in his bar.  Seeing the owner stroke his beard at the thought.  Bet he wasn't expecting to have this conversation tonight. 

11.  Making a second trip to the AMC theatre on a separate afternoon.  But this time seeing "Bridesmaids" - unfortunately not in 3D...  What?  Hey, I don't care.  It was hilarious!

12.  Fleet Foxes @ (again) Constitution Hall.  Unbelievable performance.  These guys will be (are) one of the best bands of our generation. 

A few not-so-highlight-worthy notes:

1. Being able to hear John's snoring, of which he says is "cute," over my industrial-strength earplugs.

2.  My trip sharing the same dates as the National Police Week Event in DC.  Sharing the flight back to Minnesota with 30 over-grown/White/bald/loud Minnesotan cops. My nostrils are still singed from whatever it was that these guys were producing.