Friends-

As you can tell from the lag between entries, it's been an exciting few weeks here in Lexington.  Actually, I'd like to rephrase that: it's been a busy few weeks of DOIN' WORK (both on and off the court).  When you live in Lexington for too long, you begin to think that midnight WalMart runs are exciting, and nothing that exciting has been going on since I last wrote.  Anyways, I've been getting some feedback that people are waiting on this entry.  It makes me feel famous- and I'm not going to lie, I don't hate that.  Besides, if this guy can be famous, why can't I?:

I know, I know, his legs are fabulous and his hair is fierce, but give me a chance and I won't let you down!  I swear I would be just as avid an advocate for vegetables as him!

So I suppose people are interested in hearing a little bit about tennis too.  About 10 million years ago we played JMU and Carnegie Mellon.  James Madison, a Division 1 team, was a great opportunity to play some really tough competition before our match against Carnegie Mellon.  Though we lost 5-4, I think everyone came out of the match really motivated, and most of us played really well despite the loss.  It definitely geared us up for the following Saturday against CMU, which was great for two reasons: 1) we won 6-3 2) my friends showed up with a poster that said "No, you look fat, but you look good."  Thanks guys!  I think the key for us so far has been to build on our successes and learn from the hardships; we've used all of our experience to make every match better than the last one. 

That win was made even better because Fancy Dress ball, (W and L's prom) the best thing to come to "William and Lee" since Busta Ryhmes, was upon us.  The theme was A Dark Night, after the batman movie, which was a great idea because who doesn't love to be creeped out at formals?  And I'm sure for some, it was a very dark night indeed.  So dark, I would venture to bet, that for some it was like a blackout.  I didn't end up going, but if I had, I know that my moves would have stunned everyone.  I would have looked something like this:

In fact, that's me on the right. 

I'm sure everyone had a great time at Fancy Dress, but more importantly, we had to get ready for Atlanta.  We were all excited at the prospect of great tennis, 16 hours of bonding time on the bus, and Chick-Fil-A.  But before we left, there was one thing we had to take care of.  Katie Harris was being inducted into our leadership fraternity, Omicron Delta Kappa, a huge honor, and our job was to notify her by giving her the letter as proof of her superiority.  Of course, before we did that, we had to scare her to death and make her believe that she was being kicked out of school or something like that.  We ended up telling her that some incriminating photos from Fancy Dress made their way into our athletic director's hands, and she was being asked to resign from one of her positions on campus.  The look on her face was sadder than Justin Timberlake's when he was told that his dogs were being repossessed.  I almost felt bad.....Congratulations Katie!

I won't lie, I had some doubts about the fun factor of spending eight hours on a bus whose toilet inevitably compounds in stench over the length of the trip.  But I can honestly say that I had a GREAT time.  We ate good food, visited the Patillo's beautiful home, had spiritual experiences at the hallowed halls of Lenox mall, and watched Twilight featuring the beautiful Edward Cullen.  The tennis was pretty good too.  

Middlebury gave us quite a match on Thursday, but we managed to pull it out 5-3.  Unfortunately, Meg didn't get the chance to finish her match.  Eric started to breathe again when Laura Patillo clinched the match.  I think he might have even given her a hug.  

After the tight match on the first day, we came out really strong on Friday against Depauw.  The final score was 7-2, and I think everyone was really pleased with how we played.  I know that I was so pleased that I allowed myself to spend enough money to fund a small nation on clothing the next day.  Sunday was Williams, which was obviously a charged match since we lost to them in the finals of nationals last year.  We lost 5-4, but I was really impressed with the effort of every single person.  We were right in the match, and if we end up playing them again, I know that it will be another great battle.  It's always fun to play a team that really challenges you.  

Before I go, I did want to share one small tidbit that I received from Lauren Caire.  She pointed out the glory that is Yahoo answers, and although there are eleven just like this, this was my favorite:

Why are the holes in cats fur always in the right places for their eyes? On one hand, this could almost be a deeply existential question. Unfortunately, I don't think that was the intent.

Hopefully all three of you reading will check my next entry about the FAMOUS MEG SPALITTA.  Until then, peace, love, Generals.