Feeling a Bit Rusty

Its been a few days since my last post but there’s a very viable reason for this. On Friday I drove to Raleigh to spend the night at Erin’s. We did dinner, went to Dick’s to buy a new golf bag cover for flying, and then our usual–Barnes and Noble until it was almost closing time, reading and wandering through the stacks. On Saturday morning I flew to Philly where Ryan picked me up at the exact time I retrieved my golf clubs.  From there we met the men in his wedding entourage for a great round of golf near his house. Ryan, Giff, Adam, Ryan, Ed and myself played until it was so dark that we had to eliminate the last hole. We couldn’t see our ball.  Back to his house for showers and then down near the Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles to a place called Chickie and Pete’s for some nourishment. We ordered appetizers and two towers of beer to the tune of $180. Way too much to eat and drink. Around 11pm the entire party left the premises to head to Oasis, which is described as a gentleman’s club.  I thought I would be the oldest patron in the place but inspiringly enough I wasn’t. As I watched the girls dance I thought how old I had grown as the stimulation and eagerness that I may have found here just ten years ago was absent. These ladies were younger than my daughter but I played the good sport with my young counterparts by smiling and sipping a beer. I decreed myself as the designated driver as the “boys” sampled eight different kinds of shots each. By 1 am. I suggested we leave as my eyes were growing heavy and I had no idea how to get back to Ryan’s. Thank god for Carmen, the lady in the Garmin, leading us back to safety.  We rolled in by 2 and Carolyn had bed’s made, futons adorned and blow-up mattresses ensconced in fresh linens for our dizzy and weary heads. Ryan spent about an hour half in the bedroom and half in the bathroom until he finally found the bed. Up the next morning to bid good bye to the rest of the wedding party wishing them well until we meet again this Friday for the wedding rehearsal. Ryan and I left for Jim Clear’s, his future father-in-law’s home as I had procured three tickets to the Eagles-Buccaneers game. I had met a man this summer from Philly out at the Bully Pulpit GC where I was working. He was playing golf in all fifty states. Being a fellow Pennsylvanian we struck up a friendship and one thing led to another. I was able to get these tickets from Keith last month and thought it a nice gesture to have Ryan and his “two dads” attend a game. The Eagles stadium doesn’t have a bad seat at all in it. The upper levels don’t veer out far from the playing field so you don’t seem too far away in any seat. We had a great day and after the game  we went back to Jim’s as his wife Pat had fixed an excellent dinner of beef stew, coleslaw, spiced tomatoes, bread and chocolate cake. They made me feel more at home than anywhere else beside my own home. Monday morning Ryan dropped me off at the airport for my flight back to Raleigh. On the way back to Robin, it hit me. I felt so sleepy I could hardly keep my eyes open enough to drive. My lower back was killing me and my muscles started to ache. Oh no! Here comes the malaise that is soon followed by the flu. The timing couldn’t be worse. The wedding is in five days.  The past two days have been a series of restroom visits, excrutiating abdominal cramps, sweating, and hovering over the john head. I literally thought I had food poisoning from perhaps a bad hot dog at the stadium. But thankfully it was only one of the 48 hour viruses. Feeling much better today, although still a bit washed out. We travel to Raleigh to pick up Erins items that she doesn’t want to fly to Philly for the wedding and deposit Brutus at a doggie hotel located within the Petsmart there. That is another story that I will soon detail. What a business. Have a great day.