Let the Ridic Times Roll...

Camino crashed while I was typing this post earlier today. Unlike the switch commercial, the computer made no sound while I watched, with horror, the application crash and took my post with it. And, it was a good post...

Judging by my post on Friday afternoon, I had no idea that the night would turn out the way it did. A huge load had been lifted off my shoulders by last evening because I was done with reviews, had tracked the progress on our test passes and was looking forward to the R 'n R that a normal weekend provides. I left the team unwinder after filling my stomach with a few slices of pizza and headed to the Pro Club for my squash match.

The match with Sarat went the distance and this time, he won the 5th game 9-7. The match was characterized by long rallies and intense points. My strategy should be to dominate points and not become defensive; typically, if I win a game, it's because I attack the ball and move my opponent around the court. I was doing a lot of running in the games I lost last evening and couldn't sustain the momentum after winning the 4th game. My defensive game, strategy and endurance are areas for improvement (can you tell I've been writing performance reviews for people?) before the tournament starts this coming Friday. Back to last night, I was so glad that I had eaten before the match or else I would have had to crawl out of the club. The combination of post-match stretching, steam room and a hot shower relaxed me to the point that I could've slept on a couch at the club.

All plans to go out had been shelved because one-by-one, all the participants had flaked on what was supposed to be a team activity. I got home, cooked myself a great meal (brown rice, pesto and lentils cooked with a little mustard) and started watching Veronica Mars when I heard the phone ring - it was Rajit. The rest is history - just read on...

I want to say that some funky theme song was playing in my head as Marwah and I drove into Seattle but no, that's too filmy. The closest we got to the drive being an adventure was the fact that the heating wouldn't work - damn BMWs. As we were about to enter Belltown, Sharonyka (Veronica with a sh) called and said she was at Rosebud in Capitol Hill. She then said something that I completely misunderstood, a perfect case of she said, I heard! She said she would hang at Rosebud for a bit, then come to Twilight, call me out so I could come get her (and help her find a parking spot). I heard that she wanted me to come get her later at night from Rosebud! A real time decision and a U-turn later, we were on our way to Rosebud - why procastrinate the inevitable?!

Last night was friggin' cold and all I had on was a button down shirt; lucky for us, I found a spot less than a block away from our destination. The look of surprise on Sharon's face when she saw Rajit and me walk towards her, long islands in hand, was priceless. That's the second time I have shown up when she hasn't expected me to, I wonder how long I can keep this up! :)

It had to be the fact that we were in Capitol Hill because we conversed, hung out and had a great time without being pretentious. There was repartee, there was sharing of old stories and the alcohol was served to our table so by the time we walked out, all of us were reasonably intoxicated. The right thing to do under such circumstances is to sober up over seasoned fries at Broadway Grill! I pulled up outside Broadway Grill to drop Ronnie off so that she could order before last call. As she opened the door, we heard a loud thud from the back...

072 RNX, a cherry red Civic hatchback, had rear-ended us. After ensuring that everyone in the car was fine, I pulled the car over to a safe zone and got off to talk to the faulting driver. Greg Kelly, a 19 year old from Carnation, was definitely intoxicated but it wasn't alcohol that had shot his senses, it was something else, E maybe. The 2 girls riding with him in the car were visibly shaken but no one was hurt; they were very apologetic and clearly trying to avoid interacting with cops. It was his fault, he was intoxicated (as were they), he couldn't find his insurance information (uninsured if you ask me) and they were all under-age. For blondes, they were smart enough to know that if the cops arrived, they would be in deep trouble.

We stood out in the biting cold for more than half an hour to get all the information we needed to get Ron's car fixed. Sharon was a real trooper - she took it all in her stride and wasn't too shaken up. After the ordeal, the five of got into the warmth of Santiago's car and drive around to get some food. 13 Coins had a 45 minute wait so we ended up eating at Mini's before heading back home. If you ask me for a single highlight of the night (other than the accident), I'd be torn to pick between the chill ambience and the easy repartee that we indulged in all night. Here's to more nights like this...