Coming at you: The next big Hip-Hop diva

I cannot stress enough the pleasure that I derived from NOT rushing home on Friday, packing a bag, and jumping in the car. My unstructured, relaxing, and carefree weekend was long overdue and embraced whole-heartedly.

We unexpectedly found ourselves hosting an impromptu party on Friday evening. Some fellow ex-interns with Drew and Mallory (in the UNC in DC program) stopped by the apartment. Josh, who recently moved to DC after accepting a job with one of Florida's Congressional representatives, and Chris, who was passing through town, stayed for a couple hours. Also, Drew's brother, Kent, who was visiting for the evening, and Marie, an intern in his office, both arrived as Drew was getting off work. Finally, "the" Dave came to visit Mal for the weekend.

Drew made us all chili for dinner and we caught up on everyone's news before going to the movies. Mal and Dave went to the new 9/11 movie entitled World Trade Center. Drew, Kent, Marie, and I went to Pulse. Pulse was the typical "scary" movie, with its occasional jump and freaky creature appearances. The acting was terrible (big surprise there) and the plot weak, but it was still fun to get out and attend a new flick. The movie is definitely a "renter", however.

On Saturday, Mal and I met one of my co-workers (Gretchen) and her friend (new to the city), Emily, for lunch. We took the bus to lunch (a first for Mal) and ate at Mackey's, a pub on the north side of town. The conversation flowed easy enough and Mal and I (gasp) made a new friend.

After lunch, Mal and I parted from them and went back home. On the way, we ran over some ideas for the afternoon (go to the Mall and bask in the sun was high on the list), but in the end we opted to take naps in the air-conditioned apartment. When we awakened, Mal and Dave went to the Nationals game with Steve and some of his friends.

Drew and I hung around the apartment and then caught up with Marie. Later in the evening, the three of us went to Hawk and Dove and danced until the morning hours. It was fun, although most of my night was spent dancing with this guy from France who had about as many moves as I do (which translates as "not many"). In the end, Drew saved me and the three of us walked home. I hadn't been dancing in a while, so it was a welcomed break from the norm.

Sunday morning came and went. Well, that's what I assume, because of the way time works. I didn't see it.

No one stirred in our house until afternoon. A little after one, Mal came into my room and greeted me. Most of the early afternoon was spent lounging. Drew had mentioned the desire to attend a hip-hop class and asked me (before the weekend approached) if I'd be interested in attending it with him. Always up for new things, and having nothing better to do on Sunday, I agreed to go when he asked if I was still interested.

Mal bowed out, mentioned something about cleaning her room, and Drew and I left for the class. It was definitely intense and challenging. The warm-up exercises alone kicked my butt (and abs) into high gear. The instructor (Angel) warmed us up and then proceeded to teach us a routine to the first part of a song. The moves were quick and she wasn't one to linger in the delivery. There was no hand-holding or slow approach to her teaching method. She basically showed us the moves for four to eight of the counts, went over them a couple of times, and set us loose to mimic them back to her. Then, we built on what we'd already "learned".

You talk about someone out of her element... I couldn't help but give Drew a "I can't believe she expects us to get this" look. Apparently some people were getting it, however. There were some very skilled dancers and they caught on fast. Drew certainly grasped the moves quicker than I, however, in the end, we were both struggling through the routine.

The experience was a blast. I told Drew that if (and when) I get a new job, with a higher salary, I'd definitely like to join a dance class. Not sure if hip hop is in the cards, but I'd try it again. It was a challenge, for sure. I'm sore today and that's a good sign!

After our class, Drew and I walked home. I made dinner for the three of us and then Drew and I performed our dance routine for Mallory. Not tiring of it, and trying to get it down, we spent about an hour dancing. At one point, Mal said she was sick of hearing the song (or was she really just jealous of our suave moves?), and left to get groceries. The rest of the evening passed at a much slower pace (maybe because we weren't jumping around and bobbing rather off beat to music?).

Overall, the weekend was a blast. Tonight I think we are going to catch the last Screen on the Green movie. Rocky is playing shortly after sunset. It should be a fabulous wrap-up to the series.