Is “Happy” The Right Sentiment For Labor Day?

Well, I’m happy if for no other reason that it’s one of my paid holidays from work.

Spinning Wheel
On Friday I brought the Red Rocket to work with the notion of getting off early and getting in a ride. As it turned out I chose to go to happy hour with some coworkers and blew off the ride until Saturday morning. My reward for this decision was some delicious chicken wings and participating in a second-place trivia finish.

With no choice but to ride Saturday I saddled up and blew through my thirty-eight mile East Atlanta <-> Stone Mountain route in about two-and-a-half hours; not a bad time for an aging rider with too much cushion around the mid-section.

In an odd twist Saturday was also the first vegetarian day that I’ve had in some time. I’d think that on a day when I burn a few thousand calories on the bike I’d celebrate with a huge, gluttonous meal. Nope, for some reason I chose to eat light and meatless.

ITP Flickr Pic
You’d think that with two-and-a-half days to take at least one photo that I’d be able to accomplish this. Nope. Sorry. I never put myself in a situation which lent itself to photography.

Could It Be True? I’m Reading A Book?
I’ll blame the fact that I’ve been interested in a book called The Mole People for about four years on my long-lost friend Sother. Sother was the first to mention the book to me the last time I saw him during a trip to Manhattan.

I’ll blame the fact that I bought and have subsequently started reading “The Mole People” on my brother. My brother had the book at his house when I visited a few weeks ago.

“The Mole People,” published in 1995, is the account of some of the people who lived in New York City’s underground catacombs created by utility and train service. At the time people living their lives underground were considered to be mad, homeless, outcasts, and drug attacks. I don’t know if the situation is the same today, but it’s still a fascinating topic to me.

Crockpotting – Almost Labor-Free Cooking
Last night I chopped up some green peppers, onions, and a london broil. I popped all of these along with some Montreal steak seasoning and garlic powder into a crockpot and set it to sit over night in the refrigerator. This morning I set it to cook on “low” for dinner tonight.

Sadly, this is some of the only “cooking” that I’ve done at home this year but I’m sure that it’s going to taste incredible. Who knows, maybe I’ll take a photo of the resulting dish.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – good, but worn out
Current Music – listening to the latest “Sound Opinions” podcas
Website Of The Day – I have many quirks, among those is an interest at looking at photos of abandoned things like those shown at Abandoned America.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – NONE! It’s Labor Day
Exercise (b)Log – Saturday : cycling, 38 miles.
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check, but wish that I had

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 72 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 6 (6)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 5
Marta Rides – 0

September Goals
– Not get fired from my job
– Take at least one photo every day
– Restart work on house, actually making progress this time (note: not successful during August)

2009 Goals
– Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
– Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
РEarn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalape̱o Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]