Whoa!

Thanksgiving is next week and my work Thanksgiving potluck is today? I’m not ready for either event…

Today’s Personal Project
Drop off my dry cleaning.
Pick up something for today’s potluck lunch.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Dish out a genuine compliment to a friend, family member, or co-worker.

Everyone likes to hear positive things about themselves! By sharing a compliment, you create good feelings in another person and help to strengthen your relationship. Bonus: Making others feel good helps to buoy your own feelings and increase your level of happiness.

That’s a very good color on you! No not you, the person reading over your shoulder.

Whoa!
I fought traffic all the way to Glenwood Park last night in order to get to The Shed in time for the Wild Heaven Brewing beer dinner at 7pm. Upon arrival I was greeted by one of The Shed’s owners, Todd. Todd made me feel welcome and I was instructed to join the others for the “reception”/appetizer course. Of course I was flying solo so I (once again) felt like a fish out of water amongst all of the people who knew one another and were having conversations. The appetizer was hot pretzels with cheese dip and an assortment of The Shed “tea” sandwiches — fried oyster (great!), pimento cheese (very good!), ham (boring).

Things got significantly better when I was joined at the end of my long, lonely table by Wild Heaven’s brewmaster, one of the brewery’s owners, and two alcohol distributers. I was immediately in my element, talking beer and food with dudes.

The second course was a piece of fish server over a oxtail au jus (shredded oxtail) and a parmesan tater tot. This meal was very good, though I’m not much of a fish eater.

Round three was phenomenal! The course was a braised lamb shank (I could eat this every day) and a strong brown ale, Wild Heaven’s “Ode To Mercy.”

Dessert was even better! The food for dessert was a small waffle impregnated with Nutella, with a cinnamon whipped cream, and a pat of butter. The beer was Wild Heaven’s “Eschaton,” which has red wine incorporated in the brewing process. I may have helped finish the leftovers of this beer…

Overall the night was a success for me. The group was served delicious food and beer, and the waitstaff was also on top of their game.

The evening wasn’t cheap (about $60 prior to my tip), but it was a special event in which in the end I was glad to have been apart of.

btw- If you are looking to invest in Wild Heaven their are seeking serious investors. I could afford to make an investment, but do I really need more incentive to drink? 🙂

Everybody’s Working On The Weekend
No? Just me? Shit.

My project is way behind schedule so I think that I will be logging some hours prior to celebrating the BetsyFest 2012! Whoa, is it that time of year already?

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – about 20% better than meh
Current Music – listening to this week’s “R3-30” podcast from Canada’s CBC Radio3. I believe that the name of the show is a take off on “Radio3 30” since it’s a countdown show of the top thirty songs in Canadian indie rock.
Website Of The Day – One of the interesting things I learned last night is that Wild Heaven’s brewmaster is also the host of the PBS show GardenSmart.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing. I begin again in earnest tomorrow next week
Morning Weigh-In – not checking

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~11.7 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 8*

Vegetarian Meals – 19
Carnivorous Meals – 25
Pancakes Eaten – 0

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

November Goals
– none

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
– 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
10. White Jacket Required — Jenna Weber

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]