Oh Yeah, I Promised A Blog Post Today

Happy Memorial Day, ‘mericans!

Today’s Daily Challenge
List two places where you can enjoy a one-person retreat.

Although heading out of town for a retreat or spa resort visit may be appealing, most of us don’t have the time or money to take our relaxation to that level. By identifying a few places where you can recharge, you’ll know where to head when you need a little break that’s just for you.

Me? Why should I know about one-person retreats? Oh, yeah, because I am terminally single.

1. A hike in any of our State Parks
2. A library

I Went To A Barbecue Festival And I Was The Pig
I had a decent time over in Evans, GA for the Banjo-B-Que Fest though it may have been another occasion where a partner would have taken the experience to another level.

I ate a lot of food, even by my gluttonous standards; I was at a barbecue festival for god’s sake! (though this doesn’t explain why I sought out a Chinese buffet for lunch on Saturday) On Friday afternoon/night I had a pork sandwich, a brisket sandwich, and a small sampling of baby back ribs. On Saturday evening I had a sausage sandwich, and later a “Cuban” pulled pork sandwich. On each night I had a homemade soda from Hillbilly Bob’s Homemade Soda.

Though I initially intended to make the weekend beer-free, I caved nearly immediately when I found out that the festival had an amazing selection (Goose Island, New Belgium, Southern Tier, Lazy Magnolia, Monday Night, and Red Hare) — for $3! I did manage to curtail my consumption by limiting myself to three tickets, one for Friday night, two for Saturday night.

ITP Flickr Pic
“Chatham County Line At Banjo-B-Que”

On Friday night I got to see one of my favorite Bluegrass bands, Chatham County Line from Raleigh, NC perform at Banjo-B-Que Fest in Evans, GA.

The Ivy Has It
Yard work sucks.

After returning home from Evans yesterday I lounged around a bit before forcing myself out to the backyard for some ivy pulling. My goal, which I really didn’t come close to meeting was to rid two sections of my backyard of English ivy — that pervasive weed that will overtake anything in its path.

After a hour or so I gave up. Sum total of my work, three bags of ivy vines and some limbs trimmed.

Nearly A Very Expensive Dinner
Last night I had no idea what I wanted to eat. After a failed attempt to eat at Fellini’s in Candler Park I headed to Decatur to eat at Twain’s. I parked on the street as I have for years and upon entering Twain’s read the disclaimer about parking being reserved for “displaced residents” but paid it no never mind. After eating a really good Reuben sandwich, some fries, and an awesome bowl of smoked golden beets (all washed down with 12-ounces of beer) I left. I was nervous when I found that my standard parking spaces were now “Permit Only” and felt fortunate when I saw no parking ticket nor boot on the Jackmobile.

Oh Decatur, you’ve made a normally shitty parking situation even worse.

Today’s Personal Project
Start losing weight.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – fat
Current Music – listening to a “Roderick On The Line” podcast
Website Of The Day – Memorial Day History.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – N/A
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – checking tomorrow

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~3.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 0 (0 cardio)

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – 31
Carnivorous Meals – 39

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

May Goals
– return ITP-Reader Martha’s coffee percolator to her

- return ITP-Terri’s crutches to her

- not get sick

- lose three pounds

- exercise at least twenty-five of May’s thirty-one days

- finish at least two of the books I am reading

- take at least one box of things to Goodwill

- post at least ten photos in the blog

- drink a lot less alcohol

- prepare a house repair plan and budget

2013 Goals: Measurable
– Get my weight down to 190 pounds so that I can wear a 36″ waist pants comfortably
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Dissolve Sharpened Stone
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Completely run at least one 10k
– Fix all (or at least most) of the things which are wrong with the ITP Estate

2013 Goals: Unmeasurable
– Simplify, simplify, simplify
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– 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)
– Take two real vacations, perhaps one abroad
– Take a more proactive approach to meeting women (read “stop being such a pussy”)

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2013

1. Pages 1.7 for iPad (Timestompers Guide) — by Sean Wells
2. 60 Mountain Lion Tips — by David Sparks and Brett Terpstra
3. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business — by Charles Duhigg

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]