Atlanta, GAy

The weekend was great, in an attempt to maximize time spent down there as well as sleep (which I only got in about 2 hours) I unfortunately couldn’t write yesterday morning. I tried to think up a more elaborate or grandiose excuse for those who were expecting one.

I reiterate that Atlanta is a very cool city. There’s something for everyone. The naturists can enjoy their green, calm and relaxing surround while the club heads can enjoy their DJ’s skills and EVERYONE can enjoy some good southern food.

I also learned that Atlanta was a very gay city (second largest gay city in the US, after San Francisco). This came up during our city tour when we drove past a “gay church” and a HUGE billboard of two guys who apparently met on the advertised dating site and hit it off. There was no shortage of lesbians either.

I left on Friday after work and got to DC at about 9 p.m. We left DC shortly afterwards expecting an all-night ordeal on the 10 hours of highway. Since I had no driving responsibilities (I don’t know why…) my “task” was to stay up and keep whichever of the two drivers interested (and awake). Needless to say, I’m sort of uninteresting at times, and I fell asleep six or seven hours into the trip. To my credit I would wake up every 15 minutes or so and say something bizarre in the hopes of convincing them that I wasn’t really asleep.

We made it to Atlanta at 7 a.m. sharp on Saturday morning. Waiting for us was a very filling breakfast, coffee and tea and after all that, the next logical thing to do was SLEEP. That obviously was NOT an option as we had to (under extreme insistence on my behalf) watch Venus Williams TEAR THE HOUSE DOWN in what was sure to go down as a ‘classic’!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations.

The match was long (just shy of 3 hours) and before we knew it, it was lunch time. We went out for a drive around the city and to grab lunch somewhere. It started by visiting the workplaces of our hosts. The first workplace, J.B.'s, was a building where some parts of ‘Gone with the Wind’ (which I have not seen) were filmed. This was a very neat building, obviously with some historic value but the interior is very modern and advanced. The building had been home to some prostitutes, pimps and crack-lords, but has since been transformed with some EXTRA, EXTRA security.

Unfortunately there was some misunderstanding between the building’s technologically advanced security system and us. It just didn’t want us inside. We finally managed to get in the building, and then the elevator decided to start messing with us. You see, once you get in the elevator, you have to swipe an access card that’s already been pre-programmed to unlock the button for the floor in which you should have access to. For some strange reason, the access card wasn’t working and so we would have remained stuck in an elevator for a while (since no buttons can be pushed without swiping). It was cool though, we moved on to workplace #2.

Workplace #2 was a revamped dairy factory. The actual work space/ environment was very cool, a big open space, lots of stuff, a library, shelves, products EVERYWHERE. I was like a kid in candy land. I was already jealous the instant we walked in because of the cleanliness of the place, if I make the wrong move at MY workplace, I am guaranteed a swift, prompt and just filthinization (that was the type of stuff I was saying while trying to act like I was ‘awake’ and ‘alert’ during the drive).

We went on to have a great lunch and headed back home. SLEEP? Nah not really, we had to go and buy things for a planned Sunday cookout. Which brings us to the Farmer’s Market. The BEST farmer’s market I have EVER seen. In fact, I found something I was looking for since I came to this country. A Cherimoya (a.k.a. Custard Apple or “Gishta” as the native tongue would say). I bought one and it tasted so good. We also bought food to prepare some dinner that night.

Then we got home in time to start preparing a bomb-ass dinner. We ate, talked and did some more catching up and before we knew it, it was already midnight. Saturday was our only option to go clubbing but the majority vote was a no since everyone was tired and 2 nights without sleep is unnecessary for anyone who is done with college. We decided to take that night easy.

The next morning was again a time to witness a SERIOUS ass whooping on Andy Roddick, inflicted by The Man, The Master, The Federer.

To Be Continued …

Continued…

So yeah, Federer put the nasty on Roddick. I can’t believe Roddick didn’t just cry. That was a situation where you just put your head down, and cry like a little girl.

After THAT match, it was time to start the grilling action. “Southern Rub Chicken” was the star of the show and rightfully so. After eating the party was headed in two different directions -- A split, if you will.

The “cool” people were of course headed to the poker table for a SERIOUS showdown. The “nice” people were headed to play scrabble on another table. I was very confused and knew whichever crowd I joined; I would be distracted by the other simultaneously occurring game.

Well, I managed to make a decision, and picked the poker. I also managed to remain focused and not get distracted by the Oohs and Aahs of scrabble. The focus paid off as I eventually emerged as the victor on the poker table. It was down to me (HUGE chip stack), our host C.F. and his friend Will. Everyone went all in, and I figured I would call since one of them is bound to lose anyways. I managed to knock both of them out of the game in that hand when the flop showed ACE, THREE, THREE (which matched nicely with my ACE, THREE) and gave me a Full-House on the flop. SENSATIONAL stuff.

Ping Pong: Our hosts had a ping pong table, so I should mention that Ping Pong tables bring on an ONSLAUGHT of shit-talking like no other game. We were playing ping pong throughout both days, but it got real intense after poker. We won’t talk about this one too long because I didn’t win EVERYTHING (I held my own, but clearly, I wasn’t the Roger Federer of ping pong as I had claimed before one of my matches).

I just realized this step by step recollection will take FOREVER and it doesn’t really do the weekend justice. So how about I call it a day here, let’s reconnect tomorrow?

Note: Also, the weekend may have started a new tradition for me (this will all unravel in due time) but for now: Glass.