Inside The Perimeter

For the first time yesterday I returned a book to Audible to reclaim my credit. It was not because I disliked to book nor its narrator, no, it’s because I already listened to it! The book in question is called “The Clementine Complex” by Bob Mortimer. I was thrilled to see a new release in what I assumed was a series as previously I bought and listened to “The Satsuma Complex” by the same author. Then, as I started to listen, Mortimer, who also narrates the book, explained that “satsumas” are called “clementines” in North America, so this was the North American version of the book. So sad.

Last night’s ride was good. We had a small group of riders, and although our average speed didn’t indicate it, we rode hard. After inexplicably seeing two opossum crossing streets as I drove home around 9:45pm, I returned home to eat a bowl of “chili” which was waiting for me in the crockpot (thanks again for the crockpot suggestion, Jenka). Due to my recipe free styling because of a lack of ingredients it wasn’t the best chili I have ever made, but it is quite tasty and I have enough for at least five more meals.

It’s East Atlanta Strut weekend and I will be in attendance in lieu of being at the hash campout in Hartwell. COVID destroyed the Strut I loved, no longer are the streets closed all day and people roam about, However, the parade is returning, as am I for the first time in a handful of years.

I didn’t declutter very well this week, so once again I have no included my list.

I solved today’s Wordle in five attempts; my starter today was ALERT.

Yesterday was just another day around WLF, pulling weeds, and watching my savings dwindle. I had a nice dinner with Betsy. We ate frozen pizza to which I added some WLF banana peppers, and salad. Upon returning home I watch what turned out to be a rather disappointing draw for Atlanta United at DC. Atlanta looked really good at the game’s start, but really didn’t show much offensive ability after the twentieth minute or so.

Today I am going cook an okra dish for lunch, and, if I decide that I don’t want to ride tonight (unlikely given the fantastic weather and need for exercise), will make a chili for dinner.

I’m slowly working my way through the book “Lessons in Chemistry”. I have borrowed it electronically from the library which helps me carve out time to read it since I must return it in a week.

Remember I mentioned trying to go camping in September? Yeah, that’s not going to happen, believe it or not, I just don’t have the time. I think that I’ve also come to the conclusion that camping alone is pointless.

I solved today’s Wordle in three attempts; my starter today was VALUE.

Not much to report today other than I am rather tired, and sleeping in this morning.

Last night I rode hard, it was a perfect night to be outside.

I solved today’s Wordle in six attempts; my starter today was DOULA.

After my morning errands I spent most of my day working in WLF. Because of the size, or lack thereof, most of my WLF choring is done by hand and takes me longer to finish that it would otherwise. I spent hours checking plants, harvesting a few things, and pulling weeds and grasses. More of the same today? Perhaps.

I solved today’s Wordle in three attempts; my starter today was SHORT.

On Friday afternoon I made my first visit to a Pikes Nursery. Given that Pikes has been in Atlanta longer than me I had high hopes that it would be like the nurseries I’ve seen in England on YouTube. I was so disappointed. Not only did the few vegetable plants they had for sale look terrible, they were twice the price of the collards I bought at the NC Farmers Market. Admittedly those collards died, but I put that on me. Today I am thinking of visiting the GA State Farmers Market in Forest Park and see what that is all about.

If you sold your Atlanta United tickets for Saturday night’s game against Inter Miami you were the biggest winner of the night. Why? Because Lionel Messi did not play, and he was the only reason tickets were being sold for ridiculous prices. Oh, the United played a good game, winning 5-2.

I wanted to go hiking yesterday morning but the weather, specifically the heavy overnight rain and the cloudy morning skies squashed that desire. Regardless, I had a good Sunday morning with the Gators upsetting Tennessee and all, even though I was completely skunked at Connections yesterday.

I’m continuing the elimination of things that no longer bring me joy. This time it’s my adopted Bundesliga soccer team — Werder Bremen. After another loss and a completely unpromising season I just can’t take it any longer. I may check in later in the season, but as of now I just can’t put in the effort to care.

I solved today’s Wordle in five attempts; my starter today was CHALK.

Yesterday afternoon I drove up to Sandy Springs to meet buddies for drinks at Hob Nob. Prior to our meetup I dropped stuff off at Goodwill, went to REI, made a stop into Total Wine, went into Academy Sports, and visited a small Indian grocery store called Krishna Grocery. I had two lucky experiences while running these errands. The first was at Academy Sports, where I found an aisle of shoes for 75% off the lowest marked price. I bought a pair of ASICS sneakers, Vans sneakers (my first pair of Vans, but these are not the checkerboard surf shoes you may associate with the brand), and Reef flip flops, all for $50! The second was at Krishna Grocery where I bought $15 worth of Indian spices that I couldn’t find in any of the grocery stores at which I normally shop.

I was a little concerned when the M6 balked at starting for a second or two as I went to head home. Today I need to put a new battery into the key fob. Upon getting home I threw some chicken nuggets into the air fryer for a late dinner, and nearly immediately fell asleep watching tv.

Tonight I am going to see Old 97s at Variety Playhouse. I will be meeting up with Lurker/David beforehand at Elmyr for a pre-concert meal. It’s been many years since I’ve eaten at Elmyr, mostly because I couldn’t stand the stench of cigarette smoke inside. As I understand, that should no longer be an issue.

I solved today’s Wordle in five attempts; my starter today was FABLE.

Last night I crossed off two things I’ve never done previously — get chicken wings from Burger Win, buy beer from Buddy’s (in East Atlanta). How I have lived in East Atlanta for over twenty-four years and failed to do these things is beyond me. I can now call myself a true East Atlantan. I surprised myself further when I actually agreed to give someone one of my beers, a Terrapin Hopsecutioner, to a local who asked me to sell her one for $1. I didn’t take her dollar.

I’m thinking of crossing another thing off my undone list, going to a north Georgia apple orchard this fall to get apples. Corny, I know, but does anyone know of a decent orchard to visit?

I solved today’s Wordle in four attempts; my starter today was TRACK. Another day when I was pleased with a guess, only to find that I was one letter off.

Last night’s ride was nearly cut short due to equipment failure. As I put on my road shoes I noticed the left sole separated from the rest of the shoe. Fortunately one of the other riders had gauze, which worked nicely as a temporary fix. Might be time for new shoes? Sadly Shimano doesn’t make these shoes anymore. My lung capacity on the other hand was not up to par. I rode hard, but at least this week I made it to the finish with the group.

The plan this morning was to get out into WLF, however something odd is happening, water is falling from the sky?

As I continue to consider the Big Trip next year I have started squirreling away money for it. While watching tv I have been answering paid surveys, and since mid July have been logging my earning in a spreadsheet. Thus far I have earned over $500 of the $3500 cost of the trip (excluding airfare and incidentals, the former I am hoping to cover mostly with SkyMiles).

I solved today’s Wordle in four attempts; my starter today was TEACH. I should have had a three, but didn’t pay enough attention and played a word which had a known letter in an incorrect position.

Thanks to Jenka I made Paulietouille last night based on this Food Network ratatouille recipe. I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes nor zucchini, so I substituted canned tomatoes and yellow squash. The dish contained eggplant, peppers, and yellow squash from WLF. The resulting meal was good, though not something I’d make often.

After the colossal collapse of the NY Mets this year I was pumped for the start of the NFL season with Aaron Rodgers as the NY Jets quarterback. While I didn’t expect Aaron Rodgers to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl, I did expect him to play more than one offensive series without suffering a potentially season-ending injury. I will die before the Jets ever win another Super Bowl, of this I am now certain. Somehow the Jets came back to win in overtime (long after I had turned off the tv), thus winning the battle but most likely losing the war. I could only wish that another mediocre season for one of my sports teams was my biggest concern.

I solved today’s Wordle in four attempts; my starter today was CURSE.

Typing today’s date for the title reminds me that it is a National day of remembrance for the horrific acts which transpired twenty-two years ago.

In the end it was an easy, but still disappointing, decision to skip the Wilson 100 on Saturday. I was feeling okay for the majority of Friday but had a minor relapse around 10pm so the thought of waking by 5am in order to get down to Gay for the bike ride was inconceivable. I hate wasting money, but this was the correct decision for me.

Over the past week I watched the first season of “The Afterparty”, “Hijack”, and many episodes of “Home”. All of these are on AppleTV+. Over the coming months I am going to see how much I am paying for streaming services and see if there are one or two which I can live without. If I can’t identify any I will look at other ways of cutting costs (A different cellphone plan? Cancel Adobe subscription? Finally get rid of my landline phone?).

I’ll blame getting ill upon return, but I forgot to mention that I brought one of those “old” bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon that I recently rediscovered up to Raleigh. Thankfully the cork showed no sign of leakage, but crumbled upon my attempt to open the bottle. Thankfully the wine had not turned to vinegar and tasted delicious. I’ll open the other two bottles within the next year, when I feel like drinking quality wine, assuming they held up as well as the first one.

Good day of riding yesterday. Though I didn’t feel 100% I was able to hang with the group and then celebrate our effort with a beer. The lunch stop in Rockmart was also a nice addition to the ride. I might go back just to eat their unusually thick and tasty steak fries.

I solved today’s Wordle in four attempts; my starter today was TRAMP.