09.12.08
End o’ the week, yo.
I cannot believe it’s Friday already. I feel like I feel sometimes after I’m done with my long run. During the run, it’s arduous and difficult, but when I’m done I usually look back and think, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s already over.” Monday through Thursday? Arduous and difficult. At least they were this week.
Last night Dice had to work late, so the Canadians took pity on me and invited me out to the Glenwood for dinner. I decided to go despite my strict no-eating-out, no-drinking-alcohol, no-having-fun-during-the-week rules. And I’m glad I did. I had half of a BLT and a salad. They make a good salad there, darker greens, grape tomatoes and onions, and that’s it. A little too much dressing, but if I could remember to ask for that on the side I’d be a happy camper.
The male half of the Canadians stole my phone and took a very fetching picture of me grimacing. Not.
This weekend we have very little planned. The next two weekends we’ve got too much planned, which is slightly frustrating, because we won’t have time to do everything we want to do. But this weekend, fairly light. Tomorrow Dice has to work so I will entertain myself (mostly with chick flicks and cleaning the house). Sunday morning we have an F1 race, so that means early to bed on Saturday night. Sunday afternoon, if we feel like it, we will go to the Porter Beer Bar with the Commune and hope for the best. I personally have a mission to try to sleep more than 3 hours a night, because this week has been particularly low in the sleep department. And that’s about it. Hopefully we’ll keep the debauchery to a minimum, heh.
09.11.08
Things not to say on the Perky Show.
This morning a base jumper said, “Holy shit!” on the Today show. It was truly a moment of sublime awesomeness. The guy was from Norway, so then Matt Lauer said something like, “Oh, that’s Norwegian for ‘Something not to say on live TV!’” or something to that effect. Heh.
There is a new beer restaurant (with a very good wine list, by the way) in L5P called The Porter Beer Bar. I’m excited to try it out, and I’m hoping to do so this weekend. I heard from someone who went already that it tries to emulate the Brick Store but doesn’t quite manage it. Well, that’s certainly enough for me to at least try it out, and if it sucks, we’ll just go to the Brick Store and make it all better. Also, I’m well overdue for both Indian and Japanese cuisine, as it’s been months since I’ve had either. I’m jonesing.
09.10.08
Trivial anxieties.
We went to trivia last night and our team came in third! We actually should have been first. We were in first place before the final bonus question, and then naturally we guessed wrong on the final bonus question. It was partially my fault and partially the rest of the team’s fault. I had gotten a relatively easy question wrong earlier in the game so everyone lost faith in my abilities (including myself). Then I had the right answer to the final bonus question but everyone thought my answer was wrong. So I redeemed myself but we still didn’t win. I’m okay with that. It was fun!
I also managed to stick to a large salad for my dinner, too. This means I came away from last evening with no regrets, other than the wine. I am totally awesome.
I need new glasses. I’ve needed new glasses for several months now, but the situation has gotten dire. Over the past couple of years I’ve gradually started wearing my glasses more often than I wear contacts. Mostly out of pure laziness, also because I don’t go out as often, and also (let’s be honest) because I got married and who cares if I’m hot anymore, right? Anyway, I’m nervous about choosing new frames. The last time I chose new frames my friend Megan came with me, who has good taste and ultimately made me feel better about the whole thing. Since he’s not available, and Ray’s off in Macon, I’m anxious. Who can I shanghai into coming with me to pick out new frames?
09.09.08
What? What’d you say? Wait, who are you again?
I forgot to mention yesterday the new 90210 remake which I had the misfortune to watch over the weekend. Now, let me start off by saying two things: 1. I haven’t read a single review about this show, so I know nothing that other people are saying other than what we already knew before it aired; and 2. I was a devoted original series watcher, and in fact the characters were exactly my year so I felt a certain kinship with them, minus the millions of dollars, drunken parents, beautiful bodies and perfect lives. That said, when the first 90210 came out I thought it was the most superficial piece of fluff ever aired for our entertainment. In comparison to the remake, the original series is frickin’ Masterpiece Theatre. The plot is idiotic, the machinations of the characters ridiculous, and the acting is stilted. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think that the remake, as a whole, personifies the teen-privileged-drama-soap opera genre in its entirety jumping the shark. The hallmarks of a TV series in this genre are pushed into the ludicrous in this remake. The girls look like walking skeletons with perfect hair. The teens are more jaded than the parents. And the fashions are so orchestrated as to be completely obvious. I will watch another episode, but only because premieres must be taken with a grain of salt. The second episode better be way better, though.
Last night we watched this week’s episode of Mad Men. I don’t know why I’m not liking the second season as much as I liked the first, but I’m sure I’ll put my finger on it eventually. I guess it’s that the second season seems more restrained, whereas the first season was kind of no-holds-barred. Yeah, there’s still a ton of sex and bad behaviour, it’s more in the attitudes. It’s like during the first season it protrayed life as it was in 1960, whereas in the second season, they know more people are watching so they’re making some of the more outrageous things more obvious: women are treated even more like second class citizens and there’s a real highlight on that aspect, for instance. At any rate, the show is still phenomenal. Anyone who hasn’t seen it should rent it immediately.
Tonight we’re making a rare appearance at trivia! I’m excited! We’ll probably lose, but then again I always think we’re going to lose. The irony is that just before we got the invite to go to trivia, I was emailing to Ray that I feel like I get dumber every day. I can’t remember things that I used to remember so easily. I never used to need a filing system because I just remembered where everything is. And even if I didn’t remember where something was exactly, at least I knew the area. Now I still don’t need a filing system since I can’t even remember what it was in the first place, or even that it ever existed. Really? I didn’t realize 33 was the new 80. Maybe I’ve killed more brain cells than I realized from all of the debauchery.
09.08.08
Don’t get attached.
It’s a bad week for doggies. First of all, last week my boss’s dog got hit by a car and is now undergoing his third surgery in a week. Then Dice’s parents called last week to report that one of their aged dogs is failing severely. Then yesterday Ray called to tell me that Daisy, their Great Dane, had a stroke and is also failing severely. Why do we have pets? I hope to holy cheeseness that all three dogs return to vigorous life. Unless the quality of that life is subpar, in which case I hope that their owners don’t grieve too much. None of these are even my dogs, and I’m sad, so I can only imagine.
So that’s sad. In other news, life moseys along as usual. Unfortunately I don’t have a 4-day work week this week, which will be hard to deal with since I was spoiled last week. I think every week should be a 4-day work week. Don’t you?
Last night we watched the first episode of the new show True Blood, which is adapted from a set of vampire novels set in a small town in Louisiana, and written and directed by Alan Ball, of American Beauty and Six Feet Under fame. I thought the white trash atmosphere was a little over the top, but overall I found it entertaining. I do like Anna Paquin, and I adore Alan Ball, so hopefully the more cartoonish aspects will be toned down. More TV happens this week!
09.04.08
If you were to call me collect, I would not accept the charges.
The good news is that I’m in good enough physical shape to bounce back relatively quickly from all the debauchery. The bad news is it’s only another day until the coming weekend’s debauchery. We’ve got F1 on Sunday morning, so that should rein in any crazy Mailbox Baseball or cow tipping on the schedule. For Saturday night, at least.
Last night I watched an Anthony Bourdain No Reservations episode when he went to the Southwest US, visiting places like a huge date farm and store (“dates,” as in the fruit) and barbeque joints. The highlight for me was when he went to a regular ol’ burger place somewhere in Cali or Arizona or something. It had nothing going for it except that it’s co-owned by, wait for it: Alice Cooper and Randy Johnson! Can you IMAGINE?! The best part was that they have a special two-foot long hot dog on the menu called the Big Unit. Awesomeness!
He also went to visit Ted Nugent in Texas and that part was interesting in that 1. Ted Nugent really embraces life with both arms; 2. he is completely drug- and alcohol-free, which I never knew; and 3. he really does participate in many worthy charities and even invites injured Iraq war veterans over for barbeques. These facts are all surprising and make him less of a cartoon character. In all other aspects, he could not be more opposite to me. But that’s okay, he’s not hurting anyone. Yet.
In other news, it’s Thursday but it feels like Wednesday.
09.03.08
[Insert witty comment about Head to Tail here.]
Why yes, as a matter of fact, I DID watch the season premiere of Prison Break last night! If you’re into it (which you probably aren’t) and haven’t watched it, stop reading now, ’cause I’m blowin’ the lid off it. Guess what? Dr. Sara is alive! Heh. Yeah, we all knew this already, it’s been obviously hinted at in every single promo. Plus, the actress who plays Dr. Sara was taken out last season because she was pregnant, now she’s footloose and baby-free so she’s back in the game. I don’t care what or whyfor, I’m just glad she’s back and she and Michael can live happily ever after! Except not. So the premise for this season is only slightly less far-fetched than it was last season, which means it’s pretty damn far-fetched. The good news is that long ago I gave up needing believability in this show and just decided to go with it. It’s been a love affair ever since.
Last night we went over to the Canadians and, along with T&R, divested them of the last remnants of the food they had leftover from Monday’s build-your-own slider event. Yep, we basically got two free meals for the price of free. I mean, you wouldn’t want all that good food to go to waste, would ya? Thanks, Canadians!
We are thinking about going to the Head-to-Tail dinner at the Glenwood, where they use all parts of the pig for a dinner in four courses. It doesn’t look THAT crazy, and it’s also only $35 per person! Not bad, eh?
In other news, it’s Wednesday and it feels like Tuesday.
09.02.08
It’s not a labor of love, it’s a labor of booze.
Holy Battlestar Debauch-tastica! To approximate the amount of wine I drank this weekend, please visit the wine section of your local liquor store. Chances are good that I imbibed nearly that much, or possibly much more, depending on the extensiveness of the selection. If my liver could secede from the United States of Jenka, it would. Frankly, I wouldn’t blame it.
First off, I should mention that I was insanely busy last week at work. And out of work. It was basically insanity at all moments up until I left for the long holiday weekend on Friday. Which could partly explain the debauchery of the weekend, I suppose. Once Friday evening hit, though, it was all party for me. Friday night I joined the Canadians at the Glenwood, then went home and went to bed because I was so tired. In the morning I got up and ran about 6 miles, which proved to be my longest run of the weekend, although it was planned to be the shortest. Hmph. Saturday afternoon Dice and I volunteered at the Decatur Book Festival. We also wandered through the festival ourselves, visited the Antiquarian Book Fair (which we do every year) and then had an early dinner at Brick Store. Sunday we went to T&R’s house for an absolutely delicious brunch, and then wandered through the Summer Shade Festival at Grant Park. Yep, it was a weekend of festivals, folks. Later in the afternoon Dice and I packed up our notebooks and lists of TV shows and went to the Glenwood where we prepared our fall TV recording schedule. This is serious business, don’tcha know! If you don’t plan your attack, you get all messed up with which shows to record and might possibly miss some. Which is completely unacceptable. Anyway, Monday we went over to the Canadians’ for an afternoon of relaxing with friends and, more importantly, make-your-own sliders! They grilled up the meaty parts, and then you chose amongst a plethora of delightful toppings! Build-your-own sliders! Fantastic!
So that was my weekend in a nutshell. Not too exciting but when you’re pleasantly buzzed on wine throughout the entire time, it’s much more pleasant.
In case you were wondering, no, I didn’t watch the Especiale 2-Hour Season Premiere of (big sigh) Prison Break last night! I wanted to, but we were out and about when it started, and then too tired to be able to pay attention once we got home. I didn’t watch the new 90210, either, but it’s on the DVR. I am holding my excitement for that one until I see the level of it’s quality, or lack thereof. Plus, only Donna and Kelly? Hmph.
