Sometimes The Reflection In The Mirror Is A Person’s Worst Enemy
Even with the problems I documented in the last post, this is a fairly decent hotel as cheap hotels go. However, too many long mirrors exist here and my appearance in them sent me down into a major spiral of depression. It’s not just the fat I see either, it’s the genetic defects and associated degradation that have been passed down through family lineage.
RIP: Jimmy The Cricket (2008-2008)
On Wednesday I saw a cricket on my windshield as I parked behind George’s Bar. Imagine my surprise to see that same cricket still on my car after driving at least two hours at speeds up to 80mph?! The cricket had obviously found a spot on one of my windshield wipers where the air flow was not too harsh and it allowed him to hang on. For at least two hours I watched the cricket hang on for dear life, occasionally shifting its position! If the cricket survived the trip I planned on shooing it off once I parked my car in to a bush, obviously out of sight from nearby birds — a Georgia cricket in Tennessee. Imagine my surprise when the cricket was still on my car when I entered Nashville; it managed to hang on for the entire trip! Imagine my dismay when I saw the cricket get whisked off the windshield at 60mph as we headed to our final destination. I can’t imagine that the cricket made if off that road alive.
Imagine my surprise later in the evening when I felt that the cricket was the lucky one.
And Just When I Thought I’d Cleared A Major Hurdle
Yesterday I arrived in Nashville around 11am Central with a major hunger (after all it was noon according to my stomach). I found out quickly that my Garmin Nüvi 350 has no “vegetarian” category under food and that Windows Live searching on my Blackjack failed because there were “network issues.” Argh! However, I was able to search “vegetarian” and get some suggestions for grub. I landed at Sitar Indian restaurant which has a lunch buffet. I was proud of myself as I passed on each of the delicious trays containing meat in order to obey my new food commitment (my new euphemism for diet). At the time I was pleased with my life and thought things were looking up. How wrong I’d be…
ITP Flickr Pic
I have no new photos to post today, so I’ll dig up one from a few weeks back.
This is kind how I feel about myself today, except this is how this bird should look; I should be that lucky.
Nashville: A Sinister Network Of Inclines And Declines
In an attempt to rebound from the beginning of a shitty mood I decided to go out for a run. Yay me! I found that I had packed everything except my iPod Nano and headphones, so it was going to be a quiet run except for the gasping for air noises I’d provide.
Eight years ago I ran eighteen miles (at once!) in Nashville. Half as many years ago I ran Nashville’s half marathon. I’d forgotten how much Nashville climbs and declines.
The hotel in which I stayed last night is located near Music Row and Vanderbilt University so I headed toward the school figuring it would provide safe running ground. What it also provided was a right ass kicking. With much difficulty, although aided by numerous stops for traffic lights, I manged four miles.
Unfortunately my “accomplishment”, which could be partially categorized as a failure since it was not done in the way that I desired, did nothing more than pile on to my self-loathing. Not only did I not go out and have fun last night, I spent the entirety of the evening in the hotel room. Dinner was two small packs of pretzels, a CLIF Bar that I had stored in my running bag, and a cup of crappy hotel room coffee — at least it was vegetarian…
Meat It’s What For Food Today
Today day is a meat day. That is all.
And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – depressed
Current Music – listening to the “Mac Geek Gab” podcast
Website Of The Day – Save the world, not for me but rather for others. Recycle your dead batteries! Where? Find out by visiting the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.
Exercise (b)Log – running, 4 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage – 8.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car, somewhere
Monthly Marta Rides – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 20 (110) [on hold since I'm hotel living again]
Books To Read To Earn Kindle – 4
Vegetarian Days – 3
Carnivore Days – 0
October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Huh, the irony that I’d both begin and end the week in darkness just struck me.
Paulie,
If you’re still in Nashville and still have a taste for Indian, go out West End to Woodlands. It’s Vegetarian Indian. MMmmmm…. good.
Thanks. Actually my lunch yesterday kinda whetted my appetite for Indian so I will try and go there today.
God, I hate mirrors…why to they torment me so…
Actually, I torment myself…why do we only see the flaws, we must just have bad mirrors.
I would have taken your boring night over the one I had, anyday.
I hope you’re feeling better soon, I miss Tigger!!
@Martha: Boring would have been a great improvement. I sort of know the things you are dealing with and am sorry you have to go through that as well. Tigger’s gonna go out and get drunk off his ass tonight somewhere in Nashville. Yes, I will be smart enough not to drive…
In other news of interest….
October is National Pork Month. Odd, since the month starts off with National Vegetarian Day.
You know, last time I stayed in a hotel, I had the *exact same* response to the huge quantity of enormous mirrors in my room. It was overwhelming. It felt like my room was in some kind of quiet conspiracy to make me feel like crap.
I think we’re all a little happier when not surrounded by so many images of ourselves. (Unless, of course, we’re Paulina Porizkova.)
wow, sorry to hear your night sucked, mine didn’t…thanks to you.
Arrived in Athens, met up with some friends, bumped into Will Sheff and bitched to him about skipping Atlanta 3 times in the past year…he mentioned that the tours have been so long, he didn’t even realize that they skipped over us.
Show was great. Black Joe Lewis was a fun opener…an 8 piece old school funk/soul group with 3 horns and an amazing rhythm section.
Crooked Fingers, well, i was tired, but they played Web In Front by Eric Bachmann’s old band Archers Of Loaf…easily my favorite AoL song…woke my ass up.
Okkervil was great, but the sound was a bit muddy throughout the set. Black Joe Lewis’s horn section joined them on a few songs (Lost Coastlines and a few others), Will was as energetic as ever, and their new guitar player (can’t remember her name) fit in well.
gotta say though, rudest fucking athens crowd ever…pissed me off. During Okkervil’s slow songs, you could clearly hear all the Fratty McDatrapists talking loudly all over the room (“LIKE, DID YOU SEE THAT COWBOY AND THE ARAB GUY WALKING DOWN THE STREET EARLIER NEAR THE CHICKEN…”) people would sssh them and ask them to be quiet and they’d just keep going…annoying
Yeah on getting drunk…I’d like to start right now
We will celebrate Pork Month in style on Sunday, I’ll make that promise to you!
If you really need a laugh…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atlantaboiler/2907476449/
Christ, cut yourself some slack Paulie. You just started your food commitment…
@romanlily : I can’t imagine the mirror ever being your enemy. You are such a pretty woman.
@D.D.D.Dave : So glad you were able to use the ticket and have a great time. I’m with you on the talkers, they irritate the shit out of me.
@Martha : Sunday will be a meat eating day. Bacon will be my sworn enemy and consumed to death.
@Gentri : You missed the deeper point of my message. It’s not the fat nor the food commitment, it’s the knowledge that I’ve been dealt four of the five cards necessary to have a good poker hand — with no draw left and no chance at a re-deal.
Paulie – Sorry you’re in a bad place. Hope you find your inner Tigger soon and focus on your blessings, which are HUGE.
come on Paulie – we need Tigger back!!!
though the response to Gentri above was quite good, and deep.
Hey- would you want me to take your bike for Allan to work on Sunday? I’m guessing there isn’t anything really wrong with it, so it shouldn’t take too long. Then we can have the meet-up to return at Tasty China, we are due for that again soon.
Yeah, come on Paulie…it could be worse, you could be me. How much would that suck?
@Barb : I’m trying.
Turning my bike over would be fantastic! It needs a good once-over and to have my handlebar grip re-wrapped. I’ll gladly pay in Tasty China and whatever wine you two desire.
@Martha: You’re right, it would certainly suck to be able to run a mile in 7:10 and beat the instructor in the process.
Sorry to read that Toby had to be taken to the vet last night. Best wishes with him. I don’t understand, he looked so energetic on Monday. Oh wait, so did I…
Ah…if running was all I needed to be happy.
As for Toby he developed bloat last night, most likely he hyperventilated because of the pain from the surgery (tumor removal), swallowed a lot of air, which became trapped, which caused his stomach to swell. The next step is the stomach twists…which requires additional surgery and is 100% fatal if not caught in time…we caught it in time. He did spent the night at the vet, which was a good thing because it happened again.
He’s home now and out cold in the back of the car, they gave him some heavy duty sedatives (I wish I could have some, if I start barking you know I dipped into his stash).
I’m off to the vet in a bit for more meds, I won’t be quitting my day job anytime soon.
“I’ve been dealt four of the five cards necessary to have a good poker hand ”
I guess you’ll have to live without the Royal Flush and just take your chances with the 4-of-a-kind… yeah, sucks to be you!
/oh, no I didn’t!
WRONG! I’m holding the 9C-10D-JC-QH-4D. FAIL!
so to run an analogy into the ground…it sound like it is time to play a new game, one where that is a winning hand.
As for me, I’ll stick with solitiare for awhile.
I’ve played solitaire for far too long. I wouldn’t mind trying 52 Pickup with 52 cards of my choice.
In other news… I just finished eating at Woodlands Indian Vegeterian. The food was indeed delicious. I only wish I switched this meal with the one I had at Sitar yesterday this way I would have been able to eat some of the chicken dishes.