Saturday afternoon we went out near Harper's Ferry, WV to The Maple Tree Campground in Gapland, MD for Mat's bachelor party. While not 'traditional,' in the sense that there was no nakedness (either on the part of the bachelor or exotic dancers) it was still a great time. Very relaxing, which is something I needed after a week of boxing my mom's apartment followed by a couple days of stressing over hurricane Rita. I still held a hope that our rafting trip down the Potomac would actually be led by girls in thin, white t-shirts who took pleasure in splashing each other in the chilly West Virginia air, but no such luck.

There's not too much of a 'down-side' to drinking beer and camping except this: you will inevitably be awakened by the urgent pressing of your bladder in the morning. And it's always a pain to get out of the tent and go find a suitable place to pee. Mat's friend Amy told me that the reason men have to pee all the time is because it's just so easy for them to go anywhere they want, so they never have to worry about holding it. The result is that men have not learned to 'train' their bladders. They simply require more discipline. She thought I should practice holding it.

Maybe she was right. So that morning I gave it the old college try. I felt my bladder fill up, but I just put it out of my mind. I kept reminding myself: Mind over matter. I thought of dry, barren deserts. Sand. Hotness. Rainless. Rain? Oh no! Mind over . . . pee. Pee? Water. Running water, like the Potomac. Rain. Drizzle. Dripping faucet. Waterfall. Gush. Tinkle.

Oh shit! My mind was full of water words. This would not work. In the end, my 'training' only lasted for about 30 minutes of our hour-and-a-half ride home when we stopped at an Exxon in Gaithersburg to rid myself of one of my cups of coffee and a bottle of water. I'll have to build up my stamina.

My photos of the trip are of the film variety and must be developed, but Mat has some digital ones here. Looking forward to the wedding!

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