Last Weekend

It was different in many ways than the norm. First off, I had to work the majority of it. There was a Commission meeting at the CCCU. Normally, I would have played a smaller role, but my boss was in Russia. Since he is on the Commission, I stepped in and was his "ears" for their weekend-long meeting. The Commission is of comprised of campus chaplains and ministry directors from around the country. Most of them were from out west (CA and WA) and stayed the whole weekend.

Friday night, they me at CCCU and we did our meetings there. I was in charge of lunch preparations and for organizing dinner plans. Not a big deal at all. I took them to Bistro for dinner. We had a new server who rocked. It was her second day- she'd obviously waited tables before. So, I was a bit relieved when our pace, etc. went smoothly. Everyone enjoyed their food too.

That night, we stayed at the National Cathedral. It's breathtaking. We arrived there shortly after nine and I made my way to my room. I roomed with one of the Commission members. To get to our room, I had to walk through the kitchen and up this random stairwell. The room was small and quaint. It housed a dresser, nightstand, and two twin beds. The furniture left much to be desired and the window AC unit looked like it hadn't been used in twenty years. I was relieved it would not be needed. No telling how many crispy bugs would have reappeared from its insides if it had been activated. The hallway was dark and the floor had carpet like one would find in a home, not a hotel. Slightly plushed, but also old. We shared a bathroom with the three other rooms in our "wing". It was no dormitory style room either. It had one toilet, one shower, and one sink. The Cathedral was cold and the windows were poorly insulated. I could feel the air blowing through the cracks.

It was quite an experience. Before I went, Drew told me the "ghost" story of the Nun that haunts the Cathedral. Somehow, the irony of a nun haunting a church is beyond me. As I sat in an empty parlor, with my blanket wrapped around me, I couldn't help but wonder the history of the room I was in and of the Cathedral in general. It was cool to stay there. It's one thing to look at it and even tour, but quite another to spend the night.

On Saturday, we met at the Cathedral all day. We ate breakfast and lunch there. They had family style tables and a small buffet for us and about twenty other guests. We ate beneath high ceilings adorned with stain glass. Amazing. I couldn't help but wonder if it used to be a place where services were conducted as I looked over to the right and saw a pulpit pit (for lack of a much better term) that jutted out and over the corner of the room.

We finally wrapped up our meetings in the early evening. They graciously drove me back to my apartment. When I got home, I was exhausted. Mal was in NC over the weekend, so Drew and I just hung out for a bit. Then, inspired by it being Saturday night, we decided to go to Under, a dance club close to Chinatown. It had four levels with different music on each one. It was a fun time.

Sunday was spent catching up on some sleep. Later in the afternoon, Drew and I made our way back to the Chinatown area and went to the National Portrait Gallery. After spending a little over an hour there, we caught the film The Science of Sleep. It was a mixture of English and French, with the artistic inspiration of French director, Michel Gondry. The film was well made, although it left me feeling a bit melancholy. I was impressed by the acting and the audience's immediate ability to emotionally connect with the actors. Definitely "artsy" and not for everyone, but it made for perfect Sunday evening entertainment.