09.28.07
PB&J = Pam Beasely and Jim (um, it’s better than Jam)
I really have nothing else going on my life this week other than TV. If you are bored, obviously you aren’t obligated to continue reading my blog. But seriously folks: it’s premiere week! Get with the program, as we used to say in the ’90s. Get it? The program? I know, I know.
Last night we watched My Name is Earl and The Office. I really like My Name is Earl and have been watching it since the beginning, and the third season premiere was on par with the show as a whole. Very funny, wildly creative dialogue, and in general witty in an awesome white trash kind of way. Of course, Joy is my favorite. Love that bitch! The Office is one of my very favorite shows of all time, I even think the American version is better than the original British version (although that version is also very extremely good ‘n’ all). I was well-pleased with the fourth season premiere as well. And, may I officially state for the record : YAAAAAAAAY! for Jim and Pam! Happy couple! So happy togetherrrr! Eeeeeeee! I squeal with hands clapping!
Okay. So it’s Friday, yo. The weekend looms. Tonight we plan to stay home yet again, because Dice has to work tomorrow and I’m running the Buckhead Sizzler 10K race. This 10K is ungodly early, starts at 7:30 am all the way up in, you guessed it: Buckhead. Ray is going to run it with me, and we shall have our girls’ running adventure! However, that means staying home tonight, getting some kind of pasta-y takeout for dinner, and going to bed early. The best part about this race is that it’s supposedly either all downhill or mostly downhill. This means I could get a very fast time! My only hope is that they aren’t lying like the organizers of the last 10K I did where they said their course was all flat or downhill except for one mild incline. Uh huh. It was more like one mild incline, one steep hill, and one very long and drawn-out monster of a hill. Bastards!
I’m over it. Today at lunchtime I went to the gym and ran 2.6 miles and took a yoga class. With the 10K tomorrow that puts me at 37 miles for the week. This is an acceptable first week, although most likely I will not take this same yoga class next week because the instructor was 1) late by about 10 minutes; and 2) wanting to meditate more than exercise. I prize punctuality and eschew meditation. So because we started late, we ended late, and I had to rush through my shower and run back to my office before they sent out their missing person’s report. Help! Panic! Co-worker lost in yoga BLACK HOLE! Heh. At any rate, it’s too long to be away from the office in the middle of the afternoon. I may possibly visit Ray’s Amazing Abs class next week instead. Next week is a lower mileage week, so it’ll be easier to juggle the two aspects of my challenge.
The Braves are officially out of the playoffs. They lost to the Phillies last night and effectively ended any chance they could possibly have towards the wild card. I stopped watching a couple weeks ago because, why bother? They sucked this year, that’s all there is to it. I’m right now putting all of my energy into storing up good juju for next season.
It’s practically fall here in the south. This weekend it’s supposed to be in the lower 80s! This is so cold! It’s 85 today and I am wearing a long-sleeved shirt. I’ve definitely shifted upwards about 5 degrees; where I used to feel perfectly comfortable at 85, now I need 90. The south is making me weak! And cold!
Have a nice weekend everyone!
Fall Challenge: 30.8/99.2 miles and 1/3 classes.
09.27.07
TV and more TV. Oh, and also: TV!
Okay, so last night we ended up watching Chuck and Journeyman. It is usually my practice to only watch one new show per night, intersperse them with established shows, and in that way protect myself from disappointment. It’s no secret that 75% of new shows which debut during the fall premieres don’t last longer than a few episodes. But we have a rule, you see, where we just watch each show as it appears on the DVR queue, and thus avoid any bickering about which show to watch next. We broke both rules last night just a little bit, because it was either Shark or Journeyman. Even though Shark is an established show returning for its second season, and we’d already watched Chuck, and Shark was next on the queue, well, we skipped it and watched Journeyman instead. I just couldn’t face the Shark. I thought it was awful last season, can’t imagine it’s improved although I’ve heard a lot of re-vamping has gone on during hiatus.
Anyway: Chuck was a delightful bit of humorous stuff. Completely self-aware that it’s an over-the-top ridonkulous take-off of spy movies, it also delivers some of those normal human behaviors that exist in all of us and which we invariably find hilarious on screen. Chuck’s a wicked geek, and he’s funny. The girl, eh. I mean, she’s got that plastic Barbie thing going which never did it for me. Of course, they had two separate scenes with her half naked in her hotel room which did nothing whatsoever for the plot. Great, she’s got a perfect body and big teeth. I admire the big teeth aspect, keeps her from being too perfect. You know what would have been better? A personality. OUCH, that was so harsh!
La dee dah. Anywho, Journeyman was irritating in its endless exposition and the fact that the character couldn’t go more than 30 seconds without flashing off to some other time period in the near past. Seriously, every 30 seconds he was off somewhere else. Couldn’t even go to the bathroom. Also irritating? Every time he flashes back he runs into his former girlfriend who, by the way, was The Love Of His Life and would have been the Mother of his Many Children except she apparently died in a plane crash or something. I don’t care, because 1) I never get enough of her personality to gauge, all I get are his various facial expressions depicting his twisted emotions (ugh); and 2) I’m too busy feeling sorry for the wife he actually has, who is already the mother of his child, who got herself into the situation knowing he had loved someone else but still put her best faith effort in so I feel sorry for her anyway. All that said, it’s worth another shot. The first episode contained a lot of exposition, and I’m hoping that subsequent episodes will contain less of that and more entertainment.
In running news: heels are not good for runners. I know this, yet I willfully ignore it because I’m a midget who needs artificial vertical enhancement in order to feel any kind of self worth. Also, they’re pretty. Yesterday, for the first time in I don’t know how many weeks I wore flats to work and my run last night was the most pain-free run I’ve had in, oh, I don’t know how many weeks. I had gotten used to a certain amount of manageable pain. But running completely pain-free is a joy I will be holding on to for a while. I guess a trip to DSW is in order for some pretty, pretty flats.
Secondly, remember the iPod mini I complained about yesterday? It saved my life last night. I got to the gym and their satellite was out (yet another argument for cable, but that’s for another post)! However will I catch up with Wolf Blitzer and Lou Dobbs without TV? The prospect of staring out the darkening windows was stifling. So I went right back into the locker room and retrieved my erstwhile iPod. The only music on it was Madonna’s last album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, which, conveniently enough, is AWESOME music to run to. I forgot what I was missing!
Fall Challenge: 20/110 miles and 0/4 classes.
09.26.07
TV is the friend that never says, “no.”
Yay for premiere week! Yeehaw!
So I can’t remember if I talked about Prison Break last week. Prison Break is always the first to premiere, usually a week ahead of the others, and in my opinion that’s damned clever considering those of us who worship the TV (losers) are already salivating for new episodes during the barrage of advertising, so being the first definitely guarantees a bigger audience. PB returns with Michael stuck in Sona prison in Panama, which turns out to be the most dangerously crazy place in the WHOLE WORLD and you had better be skeered. Shenanigans occur and the plot forms which basically involves Michael plotting with Lincoln to break out of prison. Shocker! Plot creativity aside, this show is, as it always has been, super entertaining and exciting. In my opinion Mondays are the new Thursdays except with thrillers instead of comedies. It’s rare that I get a full night’s sleep on Mondays because Prison Break is always paired with either Heroes or 24 (which will premiere in January as per usual).
So yeah, that other Monday night show: Heroes! This week’s premiere had me on the edge of the couch. Oooh, so exciting! Not all of the main characters appeared in the premiere, which highlights one aspect of this show which I really like: they don’t kowtow to stars’ egos by forcing their characters into every episode. Instead, they surrender to the needs of the plot, or they go out on a limb and try something different like the episode last season that was completely and entirely shot in the Bennett household and ignored 90% of the rest of the cast. I would say that was my second favorite episode of the entire first season. My only complaint about the plot shaping up so far is Hiro’s storyline, which I find to be amateurish and juvenile. Yes, we all understand that mythology idolizes the heroes of the past, and we get that yesterday’s heroes are really just regular humans usually devoid of most heroic qualities. And yes, we’ve all experienced that surge of disappointment upon realizing that our idols are anything but idyllic. And the show’s called Heroes. And it’s all about regular humans with extraordinary capabilities. Hmmm, what exactly are we supposed to extrapolate from this storyline? Because it’s just SO subtle that I’m having trouble interpreting it. Or not.
The good news is, Peter Petrelli DID in fact cut off his emo-bangs! Honestly, that conveys enough happiness my way for me to continue watching, even without all the other exciting twists. Four Months Later didn’t create too much change, though. Mohinder is still so smoking hot I pretty much drench the couch. Parkman is still fat (despite the People magazine article over the summer about how Greg Grunberg lost 30 pounds on Weight Watchers; guess he watched the weight come right back on just in time for the second season). Claire still looks like a cheerleader and is full of teenage angst. Different, and yet: the same.
This is all I have to say for the moment about the fall shows. We tried to watch the premiere of K-Ville but our cable got messed up and so now we are behind. I hate that! I’ll watch the second episode and hope to catch up, then report later. Although I will state up front that I’m already biased against the show because I’m afraid it’s going to focus a lot on the Katrina tragedy (thus, the title of the show) which I’ve already talked about in this blog and which I won’t get into again. Ahem. Among the shows also already banked on the DVR are Chuck and Journeyman. We elected to skip Bionic Woman, I think. I’m pretty sure that it’s opposite two other shows that take precedence, and our DVR will only tape two shows at once. Stupid life-changing technology!
In other news Dice and I didn’t watch any TV last night, but instead we went to a dramatic reading of the Flannery O’Connor letters owned by the Emory University Library and performed by a Theatre Emory actress. It was fantastic. Flannery O’Connor has such a witty turn of phrase and take-no-prisoners attitude which the actress brought fully to life. I find it especially exotic given that I am a thoroughly Northern girl and O’Connor was thoroughly Southern, two generations apart. I enjoy epistolary correspondence and own a few famous compendia of letters, most notably the twenty years’ worth of letters sent back and forth between Edith Wharton and Henry James. I read Flannery O’Connor in college, but “not to know that I was reading [her]” as O’Connor herself writes to Betty Hester regarding her own college reading experiences. I’ll have to pick up her greatest hits.
And just to ramble on seemingly ad infinitum, I had had my heart set on getting one of the new iPod nanos ever since they were announced. You know, the cute wee ones with the wee video screen? My reasoning was that my iPod mini which Dice gave me as a birthday present years ago was, as I thought, stolen. Then over the weekend I was cleaning out my closet and, of course, I found it in my old work bag which I stopped using a year ago when the zipper broke. So, my excuse for getting the cute wee gadget is thwarted. Even I am not so impractical as to purchase a new gadget when my old one works perfectly well, despite being older, clunkier and sans video. However, I am certainly not so mature that I don’t feel disappointed. Such is life.
Fall Challenge: 15.8/114.2 miles and 0/4 classes.
09.25.07
No time for post!
Hot damn, I really (really) like season premiere week! What better week for me to start my challenge than the one week in the entire year when I am pretty much precluded from leaving the house in the evening? More thoughts and analyses tomorrow, as I’m pressed for time today. Stay tuned!
Fall Challenge: 11.1/118.9 miles and 0/4 classes.
09.24.07
Triumphant Return!
I’m baaaaack! Didja miss me? No, I’m sure you didn’t. It’s okay, you have a very busy life. I understand. Whatever.
The office move has been completed and I am fully ensconced in my new employment dwelling. This here is a really bad cell phone pic of my new office:
Oh yeah, it’s like Trump Plaza, yo.
In other news, I had a very nice weekend. Friday Dice and I went to Fernbank to meet up with some friends at the Martinis & Imax event. Fernbank does Martinis & Imax every Friday night, and it’s a pretty cool event because you sip your martini underneath a gigantic dinosaur skeleton. We had a nice time but didn’t stay very long. Saturday we spent a lot of time on the couch, although we went to the recycling center briefly and out to lunch at the Ujoint in Oakhurst, which was perfect for a very relaxing lunch out on the patio. I had a reuben and a glass of wine, and it was delightful. We stayed in that night watching Flip this House or something to that effect, although the Handitards came over to watch TV and have drinks with us for a little bit.
Sunday I started my glorious Fall Challenge! Wheee! 5 miles down, 125 to go! Plus classes! 4 classes! Heh. So I ran my 5 miles about mid-morning and did some stuff around the house, then we went grocery shopping. Later that evening we had Handitards Sunday dinner. Ray made meatless chili and green beans, and I made veggie quiche and cheese straws. It was a hodge-podge dinner, but still very good.
And now here it is Monday again. Other than the office move, it’s been a typical Monday. Since we were all in disarray I ordered pizza for the office but I was good and had my veggie wrap. The Fall Challenge will also include an effort not to eat out more than once per week. Although my efforts in the past to limit eating out to once per week have resulted in eating out about twice per week, even this would be an improvement. So as long as I try to limit the eating out it should garner some positive results. Wish me luck!
Fall Challenge: 5/125 miles and 0/4 classes
09.19.07
Movin’ on up to a deeeluxe apartment (uhh, office) in the sky.
Dice and I met up with Michael at the Glenwood last night for many drinks. We broke down and got dinner, too, because by 9:00 pm we were starving and, let’s face it, unable to perform any kind of cooking without bodily injury. I even skipped the gym. Oh, I was just so bad for a Tuesday night. What kills me is the memory that I used to do that all the time! Two or three times a week I would go out for drinks and dinner, and not exercise. No wonder I had 20 extra pounds on me then. And was I happier then? No, I don’t think so. These days I feel better, and am definitely more content, than I was then. But that’s what one’s 20s are all about, right? Angst and drinking. Ahhh, those were the days.
Moving day at the office. Or, more precisely, the day before moving day. The office is packed up, and ready to go first thing in the morning. I am completely wiped and ready for a nap. Definitely need to go to the gym, obviously, but I will take advantage of my low mileage week and do just a short session. In fact, if there’s an elliptical free I may even do that instead of running. I won’t have that luxury after I start my Fall Challenge on Sunday!
Because I won’t be installed in my new office until Monday, I probably won’t post until then. If, perhaps, I get inspired over the weekend I may post once. Yeah, that probably won’t happen, but you never know!
09.18.07
Curtains are prettier than swans.
Dice and I went to the Bjork concert at the Fox Theatre last night. It was a fabulous show and the people-watching was fertile. Oh, my goodness, the kids make me feel old. I realize that I take myself out of the mainstream by choice, and I am comfortable with the decision so long as I am not face-to-face with it. Occasions like this, though, take me out of my comfort zone. As many of you know, I don’t particularly like to go to live music concerts. They mostly bore me. Back in the day I used to go hear live music only because they were playing at my favorite bars and it was something else to do while I drank copious amounts of beer. I haven’t been to an actual concert since Captain Flash dragged me to oh-so-many between the years of 2001-2004. I would go reluctantly, always asking, only half in jest, if I could bring a book. (I recently told someone here, who’s only known me for the past two years, that I had seen Phil Lesh and Friends in concert and I listed the famous guitarists touring as the “Friends” part of the bill. She was astonished. So was I. Thanks, Flash.) Yeah, it’s just as boring no matter who it is you’re seeing. I mean, Bjork put on a hell of a show, and I really did enjoy myself. But it’s not something I would have planned myself. Good enough for a Monday night, though, and honestly otherwise I would have been on the couch watching TV. It’s good to get out and do something different for a change.
Yeah, did you catch that? I would have been on the couch watching freaking Prison Break if it weren’t for my foreign born husband who likes weird Icelandic pop stars (by the way, she was wearing what I can only describe as a giant pink curtain cinched at the waist, but it was probably some one-of-a-kind Gaultier creation). The good news is that I still have the season premiere to look forward to TONIGHT. The TV-stravaganza has already begun, we had five shows recorded last night while we were out. I will report tomorrow on the PB premiere.
Again trying to be good food-wise this week. Last night I only had time to eat a salad in between coming home from the gym and heading out to the concert what with the showering and the primping and whatnot, which is a good thing. Tonight and tomorrow I will do my best, but I believe (prediction!) that Thursday could well possibly be a cheese dip evening. It’s been a long time! By Thursday, almost two weeks. Unheard of!
Update: it’s now 5:15, less than an hour after I originally posted. Michael has just texted for drinks at the Glenwood. I admit, I am too weak to say no. Less than an hour after telling myself to be good! Does it count if I don’t actually EAT anything? Heh.
09.17.07
More of a good thing can only be a good thing. Unless it’s “Cop Rock.”
Pretty good weekend. I mean, not super exciting in any way, but altogether enjoyable. Friday night the Handitards ended up going to Vickery’s, which was the least objectionable place to all four of us within walking distance. I think we were home by 9:30 that evening in an effort to be ready for the morning race. Saturday morning we ran the East Atlanta Strut 5K race. I did reasonably well, coming in at 27:05. I would have been faster except the route included a hefty hill. No, not just a hill, it was like Mt. Washington. Yeah, it went all the way up. Anyway, that hindered my time a bit. The most exciting part was that Meggie showed up to run the race unexpectedly. It was fantastic to see her after so many months, and what a surprise! Later on that day we all went to the Strut itself, which is a festival with music, food and arts ‘n’ crafts vendors. It was pretty fun. Later that evening we went to Lawrence’s Cafe which serves Lebanese food, and it was very good although we had thought there might be belly dancers and we were disappointed in that regard. Then we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery, although I was so full from dinner that I didn’t get anything. And that night we were home by 8:30 and asleep by 9:30. Are we not party animals?
Sunday morning we dragged ourselves to the F1 meetup again. The good news is that that was the last time the F1 race is broadcast at the crack of dawn. Yeehaw! Only three more races to go, and all three are at reasonable times! This makes me really happy. Hopefully during the next season the group will be so established that I won’t have to attend every single one. Although I do benefit from the feedback I get from the group during the meetups. They let me know what they prefer so that I can organize better events.
Sunday was also Michael’s birthday and he wanted Chinese food, so we got take out and then enjoyed a sheet cake with ice cream! I haven’t had cake and ice cream in a really long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy it so much afterwards when I felt sick to my stomach, but it’s a small enough price to pay for a once a year (or less) event. I watched some of the Emmys that evening, but again, very tired and went to bed by 9:30. You would believe I’m close to 70, right? Heck, I know several 70-year-olds who stay up later than that! Great Aunt Dotty has me beat!
Big excitement for this week: TV! Premieres! Pilots! Excitement! Obviously I am most excited about the season premiere of Prison Break, which happens tonight! Oh, Wentworth Miller, how are you going to get out of THIS sticky situation? From what I can tell, this week and next week are the time frame for most of the premieres. Shows I am excited about returning from last year: Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace, and House. 30 Rock just won the Emmy for best comedy, well-deserved in my opinion, although my heart is still loyal to The Office. House has been doing some re-vamping with its cast, so it’ll definitely be worth a watch. Heroes: hello? Do I really need to evaluate the high tension level here? Is Sylar dead or isn’t he? I think it’s safe to say that he is not, but we shall see. Could Mohinder possibly get ANY hotter? I think that would be impossible. Will Peter Petrelli cut off his annoying emo bangs? I can only hope.
I’ll wait to weigh in on the new shows until some of them get weeded out. Inevitably 50% of the new shows that premiere in the fall are canceled by the end of October, so why waste precious blog space? I will say that I’m kind of looking forward to Viva Laughlin simply because I remember the ill-fated Cop Rock. (Those of you who know what I’m talking about are sad beyond redemption.) However the truth is (uhhh, truth according to Entertainment Weekly as read by Dice and then reported to me, if that even counts) that the crop of new shows this fall is so paltry both in number and quality that the networks simply ordered more episodes of the existing prime time hits instead of gambling on guaranteed losers. Hey, this is fine with me! I already have enough shows that I follow every week. After a summer of movies and baseball games, I’ll be chained to my DVR for the next 8 months. Gee. Torture.
09.14.07
The reality is, when is it NOT margarita time?
Seriously, thank goodness it’s Friday. This has been the longest week. Also, today has been the longest day. Today I’ve done nothing but go to meetings and feverishly respond to emails in between meetings. Oh yeah, and I went out to lunch. Even so, I would rather have stayed in my office if I’d known how busy I was going to be today. I didn’t know beforehand, however, and the lunch was delightful, both food-wise as well as the company, so I’m glad I went. Honestly I have no objection to delicious food. We ended up going to a Mexican place near our offices because she wanted me to taste their cheese dip (yes, my reputation precedes me). I didn’t tell her that there’s a good possibility that Dice and I will go for cheese dip for dinner. I have no problem eating Mexican food twice in one day. Cheese dip? Is ALWAYS good.
Right now all I want to do is relax with a glass of wine. First, though, I will leave work in a few minutes to hit the gym. Then I will go home and shower and clean the house. And then, and only then, will I be able to relax. Hmph.
Tomorrow is the East Atlanta Strut, which is a fun festival with arts and crafts and music and such. First off there is a 5K which 3/4 of the Handitards are running, then later we’ll visit the Strut and watch the parade. It’s a birthday weekend in Handitardland: Michael is officially turning old. However he’s not as old as Dice, so I suppose that’s some comfort. Sunday? More F1!
We have been loving the Jeopardy! this week. I always think we are much smarter than we really are, especially when we (and by “we” I really mean “Dice”) get some of the more obscure answers. Tonight we are playing Handitard Jeopardy and loser buys first drinks. We (and again, by “we” I mean “Dice who knows ALL answers”) are going to beat their pants off.
I’ve mentioned before how our offices are moving. This afternoon the moving company came to drop off our moving crates and the lady in charge yelled out, to everyone in general, “It’s almost margarita time!” She has NO IDEA.
09.13.07
Savory options
I’m so proud of myself, I’ve had an attack of the discipline! Remember last week’s gastro-stravaganza? I’m doing much better this week. I was tested last night when Dice wanted to go to either Rathbun’s or cheese dip. This was like the test of all tests, because Rathbun’s is one of the absolute best restaurants in town, and we all know how I like fancy dinner! And then of course cheese dip is in a class all it’s own. Mostly in my own mind, but in this instance, that’s all that matters.
See, Rathbun’s has a pretty extensive appetizer list, so if it’s just you and one other person (preferably someone you don’t mind sharing with, Boots) then you can just go and sit at the bar, have a couple drinks and share a couple appetizers, and it’s really not too expensive. You’re getting the same amount of food you would from a full entree, what with the trend towards smaller entrees these days, but you’re spending about $20 less per person! It’s not so great on a weekend night when the bar is 5 deep with people waiting for their table. But on a random Wednesday night you could have a delightful time. And then there’s cheese dip, which, if I’m admitting things, I think about on average every 20 minutes. Cheese dip is worth living for. Cheese dip makes grown men weep and little girls squeal with delight. Cheese dip reminds me that some things really DO taste better than thin feels. Heh. Okay, must stop thinking about it.
The point is, I withstood both of these savory options. I stood my ground. I did the right thing. I saved money, obesity and sanity. Go me!
Hey English girlz and Ratbasket: did you notice Hurricane Humberto?! Humberto graduates from Cornell and goes on to bigger and better things, apparently! Who knew a 79 cent toilet brush from Wegmans would go so far? Heh.
In fitness news, I’ve definitely decided to drop to one class per week on my challenge. I think I’ll have a better chance of managing to incorporate classes into my permanent schedule if I do it gradually. So it’ll be 130 miles plus 1 (or more!) non-cardio class per week. Either yoga, sculpt or other. In between challenges I’ve been keeping my mileage up: last week I took three days off and still ran 25 miles, this week I’ve done 14 so far with three running days left. I’ve got a 5K on Saturday, so conservatively by the end of this week I will be close to 30. Although I would like to be doing more, shooting for 30 miles a week is acceptable.
So many little things involved in moving an office to a new building. Hopefully this is the last time I will have to do this for a while. Twice within one calendar year is a bit much!
