August in Wheaton

Most years, August in Wheaton is pretty beastly. The weather is hot and humid, only more so. But this year, we've been having some remarkably wonderful weather. Right now, it's 74º and the humidity is 44%, which for the dog days of summer is perfect.

Yesterday, at George's memorial service, we had similar weather. A thunderstorm threatened, but nothing came of it. The service was really nice. I liked hearing people's stories about George. He will be missed by the garden club, by his partner, by his special friend, by his brother, by his lesbian and gay brunch group, by his neighbors, by his potluck social club, by the nude campers, and by his sex playmates. He was a real character, and certainly woven tightly into the fabric of Takoma Park.

George lived frugally, and simply. He was a packrat with a purpose. He reused everything. He had the best compost and garden for miles around. He would deliver the garden club and the brunch club newsletters on his bike because it saved on postage, and probably because he loved riding his bike. He loved flea markets. In some circles he was shy. In others he wasn't. He loved being naked.

I only knew a small slice of George's life. I knew the men's potluck, nudist, sexual, gay, square dance part of his life. And his life was a whole lot more than that. Every person has a story just waiting to be told. In hindsight, it seems a little sad that we really find out about others only when they die, but at least we heard George's story.

After George's service, I sent Ron back to Wheaton, then I went downtown to see Eldritch. He's moving out of his condo apartment in Dupont Circle, and he was having a party last night to say goodbye to the place. A lot of bears, faeries, and hangers on were present.

I've known Eldritch for a very long time. We inhabit parallel, mostly compatible worlds. He had had a very bad week. He came down with appendicitis on Tuesday, was operated on Wednesday, and discharged from the hospital on Thursday. Considering all that, I thought he was pretty brave to host the party, and Eldritch really does host. The vat of mojito (how convenient!) was very good. I would have eaten more, but I had a date with Ron and Perry in Wheaton.

So I came home and the three of us ended up at Ruby Tuesday's. Go ahead and sniff your nose at me! It may be a family dining experience, a chain restaurant, and "American" cooking, but it does what it does very well, and we had a very nice meal. I had two turkey sliders, some fries, and the salad bar (and a beer). Now that's a downhome experience. And it was also very tasty. I enjoyed the company of my two boys, and I enjoyed the food. It was a great way to finish out a weekend.

And August continues to unfold. This week is go see the doctor week. I got my teeth cleaned early this morning. Dr. Perkins really knows how to scrape plaque. Tomorrow is Dr. Ford, who will survey my flesh; she's the dermatologist, and finally, Dr. Bonecrusher will finish me off on Friday. Sounds like a whole lotta fun, doesn't it?

After today's jaunt to the dentist, I headed off to the gym. I didn't surpass my previous calorie total of 710, but turned in a respectable 709. After the cross-trainer, I went up to the studio to do my cool-off. It borders on a religious experience, not unlike sex, probably because my body at that point is one big endorphin molecule. I'm literally soaking wet, laying on the floor, in a state of semi-bliss, thinking, "This makes the workout okay." I hate going to the gym, but I love being blissed out. What I'll do for a cheap thrill.

This is another mostly square dance week. Tonight, I'm dancing at Ett's (C-1). Tomorrow, Tim and I dance at Billy Harrison's club (C-1), and on Thursday, it's club night (Plus and Advanced). I need to review my calls before dancing.