First of all, that's bullshit …

Sometimes you just have to surround yourself with your best friends.

Spent this past Saturday in Chapel Hill, visiting with my great friends Greg, Newp and Erich. Yeah I know E lives in Winston, but very rarely do we "get the band back together." So having us all together is a blessing for us … probably a chore for other people to deal with, but damn I love being around those guys.

I know the term, "best friend," is probably used more loosely in everyday speak, but Greg, Newp and E are my best friends. No question. Just being around them gives me courage and strength. We laugh, we make fun of each other, we kick each other's asses in bar games, but most importantly we enjoy being around each other. We've been buds for almost eight years now. I've known Newp since I was about seven, but the core group of us really came together senior year of high school. Ever seen the tattoo on my left arm? It signifies two very important groups I've been a part of; my fraternity at UGA, Phi Kappa Psi and my best friends from home, BP

BP originally stood for Booty Patrol … yes, amazingly enough as 17-18 year old men, we were on the never-ending quest for booty. Sounds silly, I know. And the original thought of BP was silly. But it grew into so much more. It grew into a group of guys that became so close, they spent summers together driving up and down the east coast, they spent birthdays together, holidays … and as much time in between.

These guys are important to me for so many reasons, but became even more so this past weekend. As has been well documented on "The Lowe Down" for the past few weeks, I've been pretty down. Honestly, I haven't let on how down I've really been. I'm not typing this to make anyone feel sorry for me … not at all. I'm typing this to let people know how much they mean to me. Being around my boys this weekend was the best time I'd had in weeks. I really enjoyed being down in Athens and the state of Georgia for the weddings in early July, but at the time I wasn't able to let go of all the things I had on my mind. Saturday, I just let it go.

So, thanks to those three bums, I'm in the best mood I've been in since May. Yeah, I've hit a few bumps. Big deal. I'm sure I'll hit more in my life. That is what life is about … handling bumps in the road.

First of all, that's bullshit …

Great weekend.

Despite spending the better part of this past weekend destroying all of my white blood cells, I've made it home safely. Granted I've been a little sick the past two days, but it was a small price to pay for a really good weekend away.

Got the party started last Wednesday night when I rolled into Athens. Had some dinner with my good friend Trent (check out his spankin' new web page) and then spent the night at Craz-e-acres. Thursday, the 4th, was spent in Augusta, GA, at my old roommate's parents place. Doug's lovely parents welcomed about 15 of us, as we proceeded to take over their dock on the Augusta Lake. It was a relaxing day, as we stuffed ourselves with food and drink. Ended up heading back to Athens late that night, but not before we made a quick stop to view the fireworks over the lake. Good stuff.

Friday, Doug and I somehow got to Atlanta by 9 am to help set up for Keith's rehearsal dinner. Keith is a fraternity brother of mine who decided to take the marriage plunge back in the fall. Dating back to our freshman year, Keith and I made a bet on which one of us would get married first … one of those cheap-o $1 bets, like in "Trading Places." I have the dollar. I need to get it framed.

Back to the story, Friday was chill … helped set up for the rehearsal, then sat by our friend Gina's pool and drank a few beers. Cleaned up and hit the church for the rehearsal around 6. Despite the A/C not being turned on prior to out visit, the rehearsal went as smooth as possible. The wedding party took to our cars and hit the rehearsal dinner. Met a ton of wonderful people and had a great time visiting with the other groomsmen

Saturday finally rolls around, with the beautiful bride and groom signing the deal. I don't think either one of them really knew this, but the "wedding planner" was absolutely horrible. Basically, the other groomsmen and I were telling people what to do and when. I mean, do these "wedding planners" actually get paid for this crap? And the photographers were insane. Literally.

All in all, a good weekend as we rap it up by throwing down at the reception and hitting Fados in Buckhead. Good stuff. I met a lot of wonderful people, and really enjoyed getting to know Keith's other groomsmen, Warren, Chris and Scott. They'll certainly be great people to party with whenever I hit Atlanta or Baltimore.

Not much really new on the job front for me. I've tried to figure out some things on my own, but sought some advice from my friend Nicole tonight. I've been feeling a little down on myself the past week or so. I'm typically not a person who gets upset or frustrated with myself, but I've been doing that a great deal lately. Nic gave my some great advice. She just told me to keep my options open. If I see a job I want, really go after it. I'm starting to regroup. A big part of that will be me really determining what is important in my life. I've still got a lot of things to clear out in the head.

Vestie's favorite band is U2. Their song, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for," has been spinning in my car for two days now. It is speaking to me on so many different levels. I am currently unemployed and without one single dating prospect. But, I'm ok with that. I'm learning with each new experience, with each new date, with each new job opportunity. When I find what I'm looking for, it's gonna be great.

I've got that as my new mantra.