To Say That I’ve Booked Myself Solid Is An Understatement

I think that I have something planned each night for the next two weeks (perhaps longer). It may then seem odd that I will admit that I need to become more of a planner, a group planner, because with the exception of tomorrow night’s outing almost all of these activities are going to be done alone.

Here is my schedule for the upcoming week:
Monday: Exercise, and then go to Taco Mac watch my NY Jets get pummeled.
Tuesday: Dinner with ITP-Reader Betsy at Woodfire Grill for Kevin Gillespie’s cookbook release dinner.
Wednesday: lavanderia and laundry (most likely)
Thursday: The Hold Steady at The EARL, hopefully meeting my buddy Mike there
Friday: Oberhoffer at Variety Playhouse, though I reserve the right to bag this for an activity involving others
Saturday: Highly considering taking a bike “tour” of Atlanta’s urban farms, camping overnight…
Sunday: …and continuing the tour Sunday (see today’s WotD for more details)

Today’s Personal Project
Well, I’ve already reloaded my Starbucks card and used Passbook app to pay for my beverage. There are many other things on today’s agenda, like swapping the theatre ticket I have for Thursday night for another night (which reminds me that I need to update my calendar so that it contains all of my commitments), cleaning out my “briefcase,” and making a complete list of things I need from REI and Target so that I can shop at them tomorrow.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Eat one food that’s rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, spinach, cantaloupe, or fortified cereal.

Vitamin A is a multitasker! It is a necessary nutrient for healthy vision and bones. It also helps keep your immune system working properly and promotes healthy cell function.

I wonder if there was any Vitamin A in that Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte that I just consumed?

Like Visiting An Old Friend
After lollygagging around the house on Saturday morning I finally got out a little after 1:30pm. I was determined to do something a little different than I have recently, watch a little college football, and drink some quality beer in a smoke-free environment. I also intended to do a little work, and I did about as little work as could be done.

Like visiting an old friend I wound up in Decatur at Twain’s. It’s easily been two years or more since I’ve been to Twain’s. While there on Saturday I ate a delicious plate of corned beef hash and had three, twelve-ounce beers — Pale Ale, IPA, ESB — in that order. With the place only mildly busy the bartender was chatting with me and one of her regulars and at one point a shot was delivered for the three of us. And when my bill arrived one of my beers was comped! This is an almost unheard of practice (at least for me) in Georgia, especially since I do most of my drinking at the most corporate of bar chains — Taco Mac. I gladly paid the discounted fare and tipped her generously to show my appreciation.

It was good to change up my routine, something I plan to do a lot more in the future…

A Very Good Weekend For My Gators
I didn’t think it was possible for the Gators to beat LSU. Thankfully I was wrong. After waking from a mid-afternoon slumber I saw that the Gators were in the lead 14-6 early in the fourth quarter. I turned the game on and nervously watched them hold their lead to win.

Wow, this victory catapulted Florida all the way up to #4 in the country! This may be their highest ranking all year so I will sit back and enjoy this unexpected bit of good fortune.

Great Venue — For Youngsters
On Saturday night I made my first visit to Terminal West, which is part of the King Plow Arts Center. Terminal West is a great addition to the Atlanta music scene, with the exceptions of it being a bit of a drive (well ITP but further away than EAV and L5P) and not have a ton of parking, Terminal West fantastic acoustically and a non-smoking venue.

As do most shows in this town this concert was late starting, with the headlining act Dan Deacon taking the stage at midnight.

Were I twenty years (or more) younger Deacon’s show would have been right up my wheelhouse (well, back then I preferred more grunge and punk, but let’s ignore that for the time being). Attending Deacon’s show is like attending an awesome wedding reception, which may have been the case for some of the wonderfully dressed participants. For one of the greatest moments I’ve experienced in concert history Deacon had everyone pull out their smartphones and launch the Dan Deacon app. This app listens for a sync tone and then is controlled by the music (and I suppose some other sync tones), which turn the screen different colors as well as pulse the camera flash; it made for a very impressive atmosphere.

Even with a great afternoon nap I was pooped when I left at 1:15am, with the party in full swing. Needless to say I was in no condition to do much on Sunday morning when 7:00am seemed like 5:00am.

Fourteen, Perhaps Fifteen
That’s the number of people that ITP-Readers Debbie and Steve, and I knew on our 4.1 mile walk around Atlanta Streets Alive! yesterday. Debbie’s and Steve’s dog Farley met at least three times that many on our journey, and had his photo taken by countless others. For those who continue to believe that I should get a dog in order to meet women let me tell you that Farley was the clear star of the show and I would have gone unnoticed even if my hair were on fire. Case and point, at the very end of the night a women that I considered to be very attractive (and “my type”) came up and asked if she could take a photo of Farley. Debbie quickly said “Would you like Paulie to take your photo with Farley?” to which the young lady quickly retorted “No, that’s all right…” I glanced at Debbie and with a wink told her “Nice try.”

Farley (a Great Dane) was clearly the largest dog out there, however not one minute after separating from Debbie and Steve I saw a woman with another large Great Dane, probably exactly Farley’s size. Strange.

As for Atlanta Streets Alive! the event was interesting, but really lacked two things — restrooms, trash cans. Perhaps the lack of port-a-potties encouraged people to enter local establishments and purchase things, but not having any place to dispose trash was inexplicable.

We finished the night eating dinner at George’s Bar.

RealiTV Update — TAR: In To Indonesia
I’ve yet to come up with clever nicknames for the entire set of contestants. I’m trying, but I’ve been rather uncreative of late. Forgive me.

On last night’s episode all teams got the hell out of China by boarding the same flight to somewhere in a made-up country called “Indonesia.” Well, almost all teams got onto the same flight; Georgia’s own Team Monster Fuckers “Opportunistic Rob” and Kelley boarded a flight with a four-hour layover and managed to make it to “Indonesia” hours after everyone else.

In classic TAR fashion all teams were back together as they had to wait until 8:00am the next day in order to attempt the Road Block. In unclassic TAR fashion this Road Block was stupid and incredibly easy — ride on the back of a scooter while some local rides a sled attached to bulls. I’m fairly sure that CBS legal fucked up someone’s awesome Road Block.

From the bullshit Road Block teams faced a second Road Block called “What am I a clown?” for which one team member had to choose four children and make balloon animals and hats for them while pedaling a carousel. Seriously TAR? Balloon animals? Has it come to this? I can just see last year’s team of actual clowns throwing a fit at home as they watched these amateurs, especially the one person who appears perfect for circus life Team Substitute Racers’ vertically-challenged contestant, struggle with this Road Block.

Finally, a real challenge — the Detour called “Fish or Cut Ice!” In this Detour teams had to choose to either push around blocks of ice, or chip fish out of ice and make a perfect sales displace for an “Indonesian” “store” window. I assume the ice block moving is far-and-away the easier of the two tasks and am thrilled when Team Shriek Lanka choose to fish and Team Don’t Mess With Lexus choose to slop ice.

As has been the case in so many TAR seasons, teams struggle to get cab drivers who know where the hell they are going. This was the case for Teams Monster Fuckers, and Team Amputee, who by the time they finally arrive at the Detour have just caught up to Team Substitute Racers (It should be noted that I wanted to tag these two guys as “Team Twins” a la the Arnold Schwarzenegger / Danny DeVito movie, but with a team of actual twins and a team of nearly-identical blondes I thought that would be too confusing.)

Have I mentioned at stake this time around is the coveted Fast Forward Express Pass?

If you can imagine the one team I’d like to see not get this Fast Forward, who would you guess.

No, not Team Chip’n’Chip (though they are a close second), it’s the team who actually won the Fast Forward Express Pass — Team Shriek Lanka (it should be noted that I nearly tagged this team as “Team Jersey Whores,” but even I felt that was an unfair name to provide for them.) whose loud, piercing voices grate on me like fingernails on a chalkboard (for you youngsters in the ITP readership “chalkboards” were these things teachers used to use to teach us in school.)

In the end the cab driver’s inability to get Team Amputee to the Detour on time cost them this leg of the race (a cruel play on words, even by my hell-foresaken standards) and they were eliminated. Pity, I kinda liked them and wanted to see them go further.

I know that I didn’t pay great attention to last night’s episode (including falling asleep at some point) but as I wrote this it dawned on me that some of the teams saw very little tv time last night. Was this really the case? Wait, were Rob and Sheila the ones eliminated last week? I need to pay better attention…

It’s Anniversary Time Again!
As I do every October 8th I have to congratulate myself for lasting another year in blogging. October 8th, 2012 (TODAY!) marks the ninth consecutive October 8th on which I’ve blogged.

I was also hoping to celebrate this October 8th in another way, because last week’s subject of my dismay is celebrating her fortieth birthday today. Pity I can’t wish her happy birthday in person, but that was her decision not mine.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, though confused
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – I’m considering doing the Tour de Farm this weekend. It’s $150 for both days, but it’s different.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – Friday = walking, ~4.6 miles; Sunday = walking, ~4.1 miles
Morning Weigh-In – 203.6 pounds

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~30.1 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 8

Vegetarian Meals – 13
Carnivorous Meals – 6
Pancakes Eaten – 0

Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0

October Goals
– Wear “nice” clothes to work at least twice a week, if for no other reason than to have people wonder why I am dressing up. New!
– Eat no fewer than forty-five vegetarian meals
– Take at least one load of stuff from my house to Goodwill
– Take unused electronics to recycling center
– Post at least ten new photos during the month
– Lose at least two pounds (net weight loss)
– Finish two books (audio or otherwise, comic books do not qualify)
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Ride no fewer than 100 miles
– Walk (or run) no fewer than 100 miles
– Do no fewer than 750 sit-ups
– Do no fewer than 300 push-ups
– Read a non-techincal book
– Find someone else to go out on a date with

2012 Goals [will be a little less fluid than last year]
– Get my weight under 200 pounds, or at least whittle myself back down to where wearing a 36″ pant size is comfortable
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than one one 10K
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store
– Restore the ITP Estate to a condition where it can be put up for sale at any time
– Buy a new iPhone (iPhone 5), a new iPad (iPad 3?), and MacBook Air [look, not all goals have to be altruistic]

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient and profitable programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
– Start, and continue, to make my own bread using my bread machine as well as using the technique outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
– Read and discard magazines during the month in which they arrive (even digitally)
– See more live concerts than I did in 2011
– Eat more pancakes
– Drive/Fly somewhere for a real vacation

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2012

1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me — Mindy Kahling
2. Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man’s Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science — Curtis Ebbesmeyer
3. God, No! — Penn Jillette
4. The Elephant to Hollywood — Michael Caine
5. Here Comes Trouble — Michael Moore
6. How We Decide — Jonah Lehrer
7. Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson
8. Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays) — Arthur Miller
9. Fahrenheit 451 — Ray Bradbury

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]