Grrr

It wasn’t until I was home and (and doing yard work?!?!) that I realized that I missed a golden opportunity to return ITP-Reader Martha’s coffee percolator to her yesterday. Dangen!

Today’s Daily Challenge
Take five minutes to clean the knobs and handles on your kitchen cabinets and drawers.

When you think about how much you touch the knobs and handles in your kitchen, it’s easy to see how they become magnets for dirt and a breeding ground for germs. Combine that with handling food, and it’s good motivation to give them a quick cleaning. Bonus: Cleaner-looking hardware will give your kitchen a little lift.

The ITP Estate has many, far more important tasks that need to be accomplished.

ITP Confessional (aka ‘Last Week’s “Big Three”‘)

1. Go to LA Fitness at least twice to lift weights. — COMPLETED
2. Pay my tag renewal for the Jackmobile. — COMPLETED
3. Plan three weekends away. — PARTIALLY COMPLETED

A Cast Of Many
I saw a woman in LA Fitness with one.
I saw a boy in Target with one.
I saw a girl walking down Briarcliff near Sage Hill with one.

One what? A leg cast!

That’s right kiddos, leg casts are hip (and hip casts will never be hip). Look for leg casts to replace ironic trucker hats, skinny jeans, and lens-free glasses at your local hipster joints. Hell, if I can get the writers of New Girl to put a cutie like Zooey Deschanel into a leg cast my work here will be complete.

And you, gentle ITP-Reader, can exclaim that you knew one of the pioneers, tastemakers if you will, of the hipster cast movement.

Oh, and just so you know, just like men’s earrings in the 1980s the cast is to be worn on the left foot; just remember the motto “Right is wrong.”

A Relaxing Day Spa Visit
I tooled around ITP on Saturday morning (completely forgetting about the day’s Tour de France stage) the highlight of the morning being my trip to The Original Pancake House where I sat at the counter and ate, wait for it, bacon pancakes! YUUUUUUUUM!

After making QT, Target and Kroger stops I meandered down to the Moreland Day Spa where I had a relaxing time eating delicious pork, cornbread, beans, and “Asian” slaw. The meal was completed with a piece of coconut cake (sadly I could not eat the icing because of my disdain for coconut’s texture).

Surrounding the conversation, meal, and alcohol consumption was a game of dominoes. I’ll leave the declaration of the winner until today’s Flickr Pic — which might give you a hint as to who that winner was. 😉

You know what they say, “Lucky at dominoes, unlucky at everything else.”

Gold, Well Yellow, Standard
Yesterday Public Enema hosted another “Cheesy Yellow Tour de France Sunday Morning Run.” Once again I elected myself “Designated Bacon Maker” because injury kept me from participating in the exercise portion of the festivities.

I had a great time as I saw some folks I don’t see very often (a far too common theme in my life). Though I was having an enjoyable time the appearance of a strange, orange orb in the sky scared me so much that I returned home. Lured by this orb’s appearance I decided to run the lawnmower around the yard and to prune a large pile’s worth of tree/bush limbs just to get a better look at it. Two hours later I was bushed myself and returned indoors (where man belongs!) to shower and then take an unplanned nap.

ITP Flickr Pic
“186”

Scoutmob Is My “Early Bird” Special
Since I was short of my RDA (I mean, how much nutrition can beer, bacon, a bagel, cheese curds, and cheesy eggs provide?) I decided to try a new restaurant for dinner. I fired up Scoutmob on my iPhone and noticed a deal for Mezcalito’s Cocina. It was early for dinner, about 5:30pm, but armed with the knowledge of where this place is (thanks to yous guys) I made my way over where I sat (alone) and watched the Braves fans filter into the restaurant. I ordered some chips with chorizo queso, the red mole pork, and a Coke. I thought the food was really good, though I would have liked a little more attention from my waiter. My initial plan to “eat only half, take home the rest” fell to pieces as I sat there waiting for my waiter to appear and being taunted by pork. Though I had an empty glass of Coke (and thankfully a full bottle of water) I faltered and cleared my plate.

Holy Mosquito, Batman
This wet weather has made the ITP Estate “Mosquito Central” and in need of mosquito-eating predators. After yesterday’s rainstorm I went outside only to find out that one of my downspouts was clogged and had water pouring out of a part of the gutter that it shouldn’t be. As I attempted to remedy this situation I was nearly swarmed by mosquitos. During the rest of the evening I saw four mosquitos in my bedroom and managed to kill three.

One benefit of this clogged downspout fiasco was that I identified at least on set of holes through which varmint (squirrel!) can get / were getting into my attic. Looks like there is even more work for me to do on this house.

This Week’s “Big Three”

1. Go to LA Fitness at least twice to lift weights. (This will be a oft-recurring entry)
2. Account for the rest of this year’s vacation days; the eight not being used for personal knowledge training.
3. Take a box of items sourced from my house to Goodwill. (I still want to start reducing the amount of “things” that I own.)

Today’s Personal Project
Put the expensive little sticker onto the metal rectangle that identifies my car to the authorities.
I also need to perform a little money transferring so that I can pay for some things approaching.
I also need to go to LA Fitness today.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – not bad, ready to exercise
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – As we go into MLB All Star time (at my Mets’ ShittyField CitiField) you should be up on your MLB Trade Rumors.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – Friday = weight training
Morning Weigh-In – It’s going to make me very sad, but I know this mass of fat surrounding my waist needs to be quantified so that I can start losing it.

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 3 (0 cardio)

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – 12
Carnivorous Meals – 21

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

July Goals
– get my foot to stop hurting
– return ITP-Reader Martha’s coffee percolator to her

- return ITP-Terri’s crutches to her

- not get sick

- 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
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy — by Douglas Adams
5. Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness — by CC Chapman

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]