That Was The Week(end) That Was

(We had some problems with Blogger yesterday, or this report would have been posted sooner. I just know you're all in suspense by now...)

Did I mention our Thanksgiving dinner would be in Leesburg? What I meant was Leesburg Pike! That's also known in northern Virginia as Route 7, the road to Leesburg. But not before it runs through Falls Church, which is in town, and where we were. Good thing I asked Sal before we left. That would have been quite a scenic route.

Sal's friend was married to a Muslim, and lived in an apartment building down the street from the local Islamic temple. In fact, most of the occupants of the building seemed to be Muslim. Anyway, the husband's friend showed up, and he wasn't able to eat until five o'clock, since he was participating in some post-Ramadan fast. This got us on a lively discussion of various fasting practices among the "children of Abraham."

The table was set for a feast befitting a king, and we all sat back and watch a pro basketball game from the Phillipines. Some team called "The TJ Hotdogs" barely squeezed a victory passed another team called "The Realtors." Don't ask me why. But at least it's still a team sport in that country, a welcome sight for a guy who used to be a fan of pro basketball.

The next day, Sal and I started up Old Rag Mountain with a group of Scouts from my parish. We got about two miles up, when one of us realized that her first hiking experience was going to have to end then and there. So the two of us turned back. I showed her some of the things to look for on the trail. From there it was on to a little town in Rappahannock County called "Little" Washington, where we stopped for tea. Closer to the big town, we saw Ray: The Movie, which I thoroughly recommend. The website is pretty good too.

Speaking of websites, all my pages are up, but the ones with text need to be fixed. See for yourself:

http://stu.aii.edu/~dla312

Sal and I were in the office late Saturday night, as I frantically acted out on a working hypothesis on what had to be done to stay on track. I can't remember when I was quite so wired! It happens that I have an anxiety condition, for which I am being treated. Still, I have to be careful sometimes.

Didn't do ANY Christmas shopping, I am proud to report. And the office is pretty quiet today. I'm catching up on the news, and hope to have a report this week.

In addition, I got quite a few e-mails after that piece on Gerard, including some questions that call for an answer. Stay tuned...