... was "surfin the internet" the other night checkin' out as to where the new
'Expendables' movie is playin' - do I want to go see it or not? - 'ZMan' and 'MG Sarah' got the DVD (before the movie hit the theaters), said it was great - but I still like the "big screen" for the "first run"... is it even still out??...
... anyway... while pullin' up links, with much reference to 'Sylvester Stallone' - forgot about this....
... lived in the Baltimore/DC Metro area for many years back in the late 80's to late 90's... 'Silver Spring, MD' at this time...
... to stay in shape, played a lot of 'racquetball' at the various 'racquetclubs' - from 'Bethesda' to 'Laurel, Md' ... was a big sport at the time... liked to play a rough game, especially against the " big city slickers" (I'm renting a very cheap basement apartment in 'Silver Spring' from an old lady who is letting it go pretty much for nothing just so she could afford to pay her real estate taxes and keep her own home herself - love ya' Gilda)... anyway, these guys are mostly (apparent) "big buck" 'DC government /lawyer-types...
... as mentioned, played a rough game - close as you could get to 'ice hockey' on hardwood - mostly played regularly with three likewise-thinking pretty rough "dudes" (all three played Division I football in college) - would take opponents "into the walls" left, right, front and rear - sent one guy to the emergency room with a split nose once - not bragging - he was OK in my opinion - was his decision to have his wife drive him there....
... another time had a big head-on collision with a guy I was playin' - I saw stars - immediately recovered (somewhat) and am chasin' what I thought was the ball sliding(?) across the floor - turned out was his false teeth that got "ejected" from the hit... Ha!...
... anyway - was hangin' out at the club in 'Wheaton' one evening when the desk manager walks over ... "hey... got a guy lookin' for a game... you want to play him?"... "sure"...
... was an older guy than I was used to playin' - name was 'Sly' - one tough SOB - played dirtier than me (think we had built a reputation by then) - don't even remember who won (best 2 of 3 games - 21 points the winner per match) - definitely had to keep one eye on the ball and one eye on this guy - shorter than me - I received a good "accidental" elbow to the ribs or "nuts" more than once... didn't let on but was ready to buckle a time or two... returned the favor - "accidentally" caught his ankle sending him sprawling hard head first into the wall - very slow to get up... "I'm OK...!" he says, in a voice sounding much like 'Rocky Balboa'...
... anyway, hung out with him in the bar afterward - we're shootin' the "bullshit" - say's he's a 'real estate developer'... big deal... every third guy ya' talk to in DC is... good guy, though... the whole time I'm thinkin' "this guy reminds me of Sylvester Stallone..."
.... Ha!!..
(internet photo)
... turned out it was Sylvester Stallones dad, Frank!... said that he lived in 'Bethesda' as I recall... pretty cool...
... another time...
... pay the bills by working engineering... same place - DC Metro area again... loved it there...
... company I worked for did a lot of engineering /consulting work for the local 'Sanitary Commission'... we got a project along 'River Road' in 'Potomac, Maryland' realigning/renovating some infrastructure...
... I'm out one day checkin' out the planned re-alignment - pretty ritzy neighborhood... I'm walkin' around with 'plans in hand' + hard hat + safety vest = lookin' pretty official ...learned my lesson a few months earlier when I walked up on to a 'Rockville' gal's "rural" front porch totally unannounced with no ID and was immediately lookin' cross-eyed down the barrel of a loaded 9mm pistol ... "I'm a Montgomery Police Officer and I demand to know who is on my front porch!!!"...
... anyway - was required to notify the local land owners of the proposed construction and verify to them the legal 'Right-of-Way'... while checkin' out the "job", I spot a lady outside in the yard of one large residence doin' some flower gardening - I walk up and introduce myself - she's pretty tall (maybe 5'-8") and dressed in some good fitting jeans, flannel shirt, long brunette hair pulled back under gardening hat - recognized her right off the bat - it's the actress 'Lynda Carter' from the 'Wonder Woman' TV show - was told she lived in the area somewhere - and just as gorgeous as on TV - let on like I didn't recognize her but I managed to "bullshit" a conversation and "linger" for at least twenty minutes ...came across as definitely a "very classy chick"... "love at first sight" on my part...
(internet photo)
... here she is hangin' out at the "homestead"...
(internet photo)
... 'Charlie Rich' couldn't write her any better...
