So, once again, I haven't managed to get around to writing in the past week; however, I have been pretty productive in that time. I've been trying to get my apartment cleaned, since, not being there, I didn't have to clean it at all since the beginning of March.
I washed all of my dirty dishes. My dishwasher/sink had been acting up for a few months before I went to Indy - whenever I run a dishwasher load, the right side (where the garbage disposal is) fills up with the dirty dishwater, and sometimes even overflows. I really need to get that looked at, especially since my garbage disposal no longer works, either.
I decided that the little desk my new computer is on just was not going to cut it, so I bought a build-it-yourself computer desk at Meijer. At the same time, I got a new floor lamp, and also an office chair - one of the little forty-dollar chairs, but it works. With the desk, and the computer desk, I effectively tripled the desk space in my room.
Also, I was running out of bookshelf space, so I bought another build-it-yourself bookshelf, matching the one I bought a while back. I will put it together tonight, so that I can finish getting my living and dining rooms cleaned up. While I was in Indy, I bought about 20 books, and have gotten a few more since then - mostly political books, cookbooks, diet/nutrition books, and Star Wars novels.
Speaking of politics, some political figures attended the "God Bless America Day" service at my church yesterday. Among them were Dale Shugars and Jerry Van Roost - a Republican state senator, and a Republican state representative (and party whip). They both (along with a Democrat representative) spoke briefly during the service, and I introduced myself to them afterward.
The picnic yesterday afternoon was a lot of fun. I never did make the Caesar salad, but the barbecue sauce was well-received. I got in about an hour of sand volleyball, then went to help out with the closest-to-the-pin golf chipping competition. I had the exciting job of collecting balls and measuring distances - which meant I got to play dodgeball for about an hour. No left-handed clubs were available, so I decided to take a couple shots right-handed. I'm proud to say that my very first shot actually ended up within about ten feet of the pin, from a distance of 30 yards.
I also got to do some jousting, which I had not done since some time in college, at a similar spring festival-type event. Of the three guys I faced, I beat two of them, and lost 2-1 to the third. The guy that beat me was undefeated the entire day, and I was one of the only people even to knock him off once. The thing with jousting is balance - the goal is to keep yours, while throwing off your competitor's. You need to be able to keep your balance with your legs, while simultaneously attacking your competitor using arm strength. The guy who beat me definitely hit the hardest of anyone I faced - I must say that the 15 miles a day on the exercise bike that I've been doing really helped me stay upright. I realized his weak spot - he would leave his face open. The time I knocked him off, he started in an attack stance, leaving his face open, so I started in a defensive position, with my jousting implement pointed right at his chin. A quick, hard jab right into his chin threw his head back, brought his whole body up, and a following shot to the side of the head (while withstanding his first hit to the side of my head) threw him off balance. A final jab to the chin landed him on the air mat. The biggest problem was that the jousting platorms were not stable - they rotated, and rocked about five degrees in all direction. Keeping your balance after a stiff blow, only to fall backward because the platform moved, could be quite frustrating.
After the picnic was over, we had the grand opening for the coffee house. A band, of which my friend Brett is a member, played for a couple hours, and we all hung out enjoying the evening. I left around nine to head home.
The start of my weekend was eventful, too - Friday night I went with Jason and Lex to Milennium Park for a 19 Wheels concert. I had never heard of them before last week, but apparently, they are quite popular in this area. As it turns out, they were pretty good; I am surprised they didn't get any/much airplay in Terre Haute. They reminded me a lot of Ben Folds Five. After the 19 Wheels concert, we went to Club Soda to see Shaffer Street - the band put together by former Why Store lead-singer Chris Shaffer. I liked their style of music - bluesy/jazzy/alternative - more than I did 19 Wheels' alternative-pop style, though both were enjoyable.
I spent all of Saturday cleaning around my apartment, and building my new furniture.
That pretty much sums up the weekend; nothing terribly eventful happened through the week.
Erica will be coming over tomorrow, so I need to finish cleaning tonight, as well as buy food to cook her a special dinner. I think I want to cook her dinner, and then take her over to South Haven to watch fireworks over Lake Michigan.
So far, I have no plans for the Fourth - I think, if nothing else, I am just going to enjoy being able to be at home, relaxing for the day.
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