Lost Weekend

I hear that the weather was beautiful this weekend. I wouldn’t know because the only time I spent outside there was a fucking torrential downpour.

But at least I was quite productive on my project.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Practice saying “no” to a new commitment.

Have you ever reached a point where the number of obligations you had made you feel overwhelmed? Saying “no” to the next request for your time may not be your first instinct, but it can help relieve the stress of being overcommitted. That stress can make you feel run-down and more likely to get sick. When you say “no,” you can direct your energy toward fulfilling your existing commitments or open up time to pursue something else that interests you.

No, I will not!

(you had to see that one coming)

An Unlikely Ending
On Friday night I met up with some friends at 57th Fighter Group after work. While the weather appeared to be beautiful it was quite cool in the shade (at a table not picked by me), especially when the wind kicked up. After far too long I finally remembered that I keep my $50 Coors Field windbreaker (purchased out of necessity at a Rockies game years ago) in the Jackmobile, so after fetching it I was fine.

Weather not withstanding the afternoon was fun, but when night fell our server turned from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde. The server was attentive until the restaurant became crowded, then he was absent. I ordered a Reuben sandwich with chips and an extra side order of cole slaw. When the food arrived the cole slaw was missing, so I politely asked for it. Our server arrived with the $4 side item as I was taking my last bite of my sandwich. And because I know that I am a fast eater I made efforts to slow down to give him a chance to get the cole slaw to me before I was done.

“Too late, I didn’t want cole slaw for dessert. Please take it back because I don’t want it any longer.” I said.

“Well, I’ll just leave it here to save me the trip.” was his response.

“Fine, but I’m not paying for it. Please make sure it’s taken off the bill.” I said.

Rare was the appearance of our server again, and at one point we had to flag him down to put in a request for our check.

Seriously, we waited nearly twenty minutes before one of the guys at our table went up to him and told him that we’d be walking out on our tab if he didn’t bring the check soon. The check arrived a minute or two later, with the $4 cole slaw still on it. There is no way that I was going to chance asking him to rerun the bill, he probably wouldn’t have returned for another twenty minutes.

I don’t stiff waitstaff, but my tip was brutally low and I mentioned on the cole slaw on my receipt.

It may be a while before I return to 57th Fighter Group again.

Moving Out: The “Not Me” Edition
“Do you work for Trees Atlanta?” I heard from across the street from the woman carrying a large bag to the curb. The query was because I was clad in my (now old) Trees Atlanta t-shirt.

I politely denied working there and inquired about all of the stuff on the curb “Cleaning up, or moving out?” I asked. “Moving out.” was the reply.

Though I barely know the people who were living in the (rented?) house across from me I’m always concerned when people move out because you never know who is going to move in. Of course I’m still hopeful for my dream of a group of single, tattoo-less, attractive women to occupy that space.

Can’t Take In The Ball Game
After my long day at the office on Saturday I decided not to head to Turner Field after all. I figured the game would be on the television and at my house I’d have a far better selection of much cheaper beer.

I tuned the TV to Fox Sports South, the channel on which I assumed the game would be showing; the game was listed in the guide, but it was blacked out. I saw another listing for the game on MLBTV, it too was blacked out. This made me believe that the game was being shown locally on Fox or PeachtreeTV, it was not.

So I watched hockey instead.

Timing Is Everything
I was in the work area around 7:30am yesterday and was planning on popping into Publix and perhaps Einstein Bros Bagels (remember when Atlanta had a few different bagel places?) for some breakfast when I saw all of the cones in the street. “Aw fuck, there is going to be a 10k this morning? I better just run in and out of Publix today so that I don’t get caught on the wrong side of the street.” I though aloud.

As I walked into Publix I heard someone call my name (unfortunately a guy’s voice), it was one of my old former coworkers (also named “Paul”) who I haven’t seen since he left the company about eight years ago. He was finishing up his Publix trip that he was making solely because Home Depot doesn’t open until 8am on Sunday.

It’s funny how shit like this works out. Had there not been the 10k I would have eaten a leisurely breakfast at Einstein Bros and then gone into Publix, and the encounter would have never happened.

Today’s Personal Project
Start making plans for fun times, even if those fun times happen alone.
Guess who has still yet to book his flight to Brussels?

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – nervous about a lot of things
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Even though I am not buying anything for my house that is no reason for me not to point you at interesting sites like Society6 so that you can buy stuff for yours.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – Sunday = racquetball, 1+ hours
Morning Weigh-In – Arg, I keep failing to jump on the scale

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 5 (5 cardio)

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

April Goals
– have European trip plans in place, if not carved in stone
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber to fix all of the sinks at the ITP Estate
– walk no fewer than 75 miles

2014 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
– 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
– Sell the ITP Estate (tentative)

2014 Goals: Unmeasurable
– Continue to 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)

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2014

1. “Johnny Carson” by Henry Bushkin
2. “Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative” by Austin Kleon
3. “Chaos: Making a New Science” by James Gleick
4. “What’s So Funny?: My Hilarious Life” by Tim Conway

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]