Needed to do some shopping

It rained today. A lot. I wanted to get in a round of golf but it wasn’t to be. There were two tournaments at Virginia Oaks scheduled for today and it rained early. I think that was a sign that I needed to do some shopping. Now, I’m a guy. We don’t shop, we buy. We will try to find a good deal, afterall it’s good to save money. But we’ll also realize that, while there might be a better deal somewhere, we don’t have the patience to deal with malls until we find it.

I need a new suit. My brother is getting married at the end of the month and I need a black suit. I have several suits in my closet however there are maybe two that fit me. They were purchased back when I was selling them at a part time job at Kuppenheimer. That was almost 20 years ago. A lot’s changed since then, including my metabolism. My 29-inch waist is a thing of the past.

So off to the stores I went today. I started at the usual places, like Mens Wearhouse and S&K Menswear. I wasn’t impressed with the styles, patterns or features. I still know a thing or two about suits and I know what I like. Jos A Bank was close but not perfect. I ended up at Lord & Taylor. Now I know I’ve grown up. If driving a Volvo wasn’t enough of a clue then shopping at Lord & Taylor sealed the deal. I’m officially middle-aged.

I found a really nice suit that fit me well (with room to grow). I think I got a great deal on it. In the process I picked up another one for a steal. The way I see it you can’t have too many, even if you’re like me and wear jeans to work. I may have a little fun and wear one to work one day. They already know that if I’m in Dockers then I’m leaving early for golf. If I’m in a suit they’ll be sure I’m going to an interview. It’s always fun to mess with people; keep them on the edge.

By the way, I’m playing golf on Saturday. Just wouldn’t be a weekend without at least one round.

First Weekend in May

I played at Virginia Oaks last Friday morning.  Went off early so that I could be finished in time to leave for Apple Blossom in Winchester.  I was paired with a guy who claims the most rounds ever at Virginia Oaks with more than 1700.  He said he plays five days a week.  I told him that he was in for a long day playing with me.  It turned out that we weren’t that far apart in ability.  The course is getting in pretty decent shape but the rough is long.  In fact it was the longest I’ve seen there.  That really put a premium on keeping the ball in the fairway, which I didn’t do consistently.

Friday night we went to Apple Blossom’s Beach House on the Bloom.  It’s a pretty fun event but I think next year we’ll just tailgate and forget the band.  Inside the tent it’s exactly the same every year.  Saturday we went to the parade.  I’m not a fan of crowds or parades so I was in for a real treat.  It didn’t turn out so bad since we arranged to have rum.  Unfortunately the rum got the better of me.  No sense going into the details about this on the internet.

I played in a tournament Monday afternoon down at The Osprey in Woodbridge with a good friend.  This one was the usual captain’s choice four person teams.  Our team only had two people so they let us have a ghost putt.  That put us at a distinct disadvantage over the other teams that had four shots each time.  Even so we shot a 2-over 72.  Under those circumstances I thought we did well.  We weren’t in last place but we weren’t anywhere near the three leading teams who each shot a 61.  I did walk away with the closest to the pin on one hole (9′ 0″).  I really didn’t think it would hold up and almost left early.  Glad I didn’t.

It’s been a long time and a lot has happened.

I haven’t posted an entry since November.  Since then the Caps went from the bottom of the league to the top of their division, gaining entry to the playoffs in the process.  They did fire Glen Hanlon and hired Bruce Boudreau to replace him.  This guy is a great coach and he knew just how to get the most from his team.  Though they lost in the first round to Philly, the future is bright.

My golf game is improving.  In the last month or two I’ve recorded four rounds in the eighties, including an 83 last Saturday.  My last score over 100 was in October at Stonewall Golf Club.  I feel like I’m comfortable out there and, while every shot isn’t great, I’m in more control.  I also decided to join Virginia Oaks as a full member.  This will allow me to play more on weekends, which is something I hesitated to do previously.

The had a pretty active winter.  We hosted the Parrothead’s Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day parties.  We held our own parties for a couple of other sporting events, like the Super Bowl and Daytona 500.  We’ll try to keep things going in there over the summer, although we usually end up outside during the warm weather months.

I’m going to try to keep up on this more than I have been.  At the very least I’ll post the weekly email I send to my golf playing friends.  If you’d like to be on this list, please let me know.  One can’t have too many people with whom to play golf.