2003.09.21 – Sunday

At 8:30AM, we got up and out of Botetourt County after a great breakfast with Cindy and John. It was incredibly foggy for the trip through the James Valley, but this eventually subsided. By about 2PM, we had made our way to Glen Burnie, Maryland (southeast of Baltimore, a little). Danielle and Chuck were a bit surprised to hear that we would be arriving this early, so apparently a hurried atte
mpt at cleaning was had in advance of our arrival. Danielle and Chuck greeted us well — Chuck still wearing his pajama pants (“Sunday Best”, methinks).

There new house is cozy, and certainly better off than the photos I had seen shortly after the moved in. Originally, in some rooms, it looked like the 1970s had moved in, got drunk, and threw up on the walls. Odd textured wallpaper, shaggy carpets and strange, strange paint colors. They’ve gone a long way to remove these 70s remnants, but that stuff is tough!

Anywho, we shortly thereafter headed to Arundel Mills (whom some of you may remember as Kelly’s “Mecca” from our February 2001 trip to Baltimore), and Kelly and Danielle cut Chuck and I loose to “shop”. This involved trips to most of the video game stores (and a “Wizards of the Coast” shop). We also played some air-hockey at Jillians, and I kicked a little ass on the Sega Airliner Simulator. My landings were a little rough, but hey, no one died!

We ate a nice little joint called “Fuzio’s” in the mall there, and the food was tasty and prompt, despite the lack of calamari (“on account of the hurricane”). Hurricane damage in Baltimore and the surrounding areas was quite minimal, but according to Danielle and Chuck, it was no worse than a “Kentucky Thunderstorm”, which caused Marylanders to run about like scared chickens, or to make things relative to home — like when we have a snowstorm in Louisville.

We returned home, but Kelly and Danielle wanted to go to Target. Chuck and I hung back, where he tried out the new Tron 2.0 game. It was pretty nice looking, and the light cycle portion of the game was nicely done (but, it’s still just light cycles. which are very fun, but these kids these days need giant guns to have fun). I read through a book they had there called “Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands – A Guide to Doing Business in [Many] Countries”. Now I know that you should never give a white flower with a kimino wrapped around it right over left to a Japanese recipient. Also, the Russians bottle vodka with the intent that when it is open, its entire contents should be drank then and there.

I should note that I called Patience in Cape Cod, and everything is set up for us to stay with her on the Lower Cape (Yarmouth Port, to be exact). What an awesome turn of events! I hear-tell that Cape Cod is quite beautiful, and this time of year it is nice and calm.