Debate tournament + a close friend's visit = stress and fun

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have emerged victorious from an eventful week.

As remarked in an earlier entry, Crystal arrived here Sunday night. She'd already met Ash when Ash visited me in Elizabeth City, and I introduced her to Adam, Rachel, Ian, the NARC regulars, and numerous friends. She was quite fond of DC by the time she left, and has accepted, as I did so long ago, that it owns Elizabeth City. Also, DCers are much cooler than ECers.

And, of course, the DC crowd was quite fond of Crystal as well.

Today she left, so we had a farewell dinner at Casa Fiesta. But first, there were pictures...



I dropped her off at Union Station at five, and although I have no real desire to go back to Elizabeth City it was very strange to watch someone else do it.

On Friday and Saturday, the AU Debate Society held its tournament. For those who aren't in the know, we're members of the American Parliamentary Debate Association. Universities all over the nation send teams to such tournaments, and they're always fun, but this was my first time participating as a judge instead of a debater.

First, Ash and I registered teams... this is the exciting part, because it means taking their money.

Because this tournament fell near Halloween weekend, and also because APDA debaters are severely repressed souls, we saw some interesting costumes. (The guy with the wings changed Ash's life... if you watch her blog, I'm sure you'll see a note on him.)



We're going to a tournament this weekend at GW... wish us luck!