So I'm sorry to say that I haven't been to the gym since Wednesday or Thursday and it's my fault. I was planning on going Friday, but my friend Nicole called and wanted to meet up at this gymnastics place called Silver Stars so our girls could play together, and since they're best friends, how could I say no? They had a great time. I figured that at least I made a good decision and Mallory and I ate lunch at home instead of going out where everything is at least 500 calories more than you would think.

Saturday, we all stayed in because, if you hadn't heard, we got nearly 2 feet of snow. Mal and I played outside a little bit, but otherwise it was a very quiet day. I did free up some space on the dvr by watching Into the Wild (didn't do much for me) and Confessions of a Shopoholic (meh)

I got plenty of exercise on Sunday by shoveling for about 90 minutes. It's about 36 hours later and I'm still feeling it, mostly in my left shoulder and forearm. I'm hoping to get to the gym to spend some time in the hot tub.

Today we were back at Silver Stars and then went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. It's not my favorite place, but moms love it for the salad bar. I got some "Cajun" fish (probably cod or haddock or something) with steamed broccoli and a brown rice side. The fish was not spicy at all and I'd describe it as watery. Not something you want your food to be...unless you're eating water balloons.

Tomorrow is storytime at the library and then we're off to Chucky Cheese, which I have never been to. I'm going to try to limit myself to 2 slices and a diet coke. Maybe we can go to the gym tomorrow night or Wednesday. I really hope the parking lot is pretty clear. I've been disappointed with the streets so far. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think the town's streets should be pretty clear 2 days after it stopped snowing.

ttfn!

I know that losing this weight is a matter of making better choices with my food. I'm proud to announce that today at Chick fil a I got a sandwich combo but got the side salad instead of the fries. I was impressed with it. The salad has the same volume as a softball and has some broccoli and tomatoes in it. And while I was at it, I got Mal the fruit on the side instead of fries. Might as well make us both healthier, right?

I've been to the gym twice this week, both times to go swimming. We joined just over a year ago and I fell in love with the spin classes. Unfortunately, Mal's sleeping habits tend overlap with the classes as does Cara's work schedule so I've only been a few times in the last several months. I need to learn that I can do other stuff there that isn't spinning. I like swimming and what it does for me. It's a whole-body workout. I can also do it pretty much every time and any time I'm there. Plus, it's right next to the hot tub and steam room and I'm already dressed for the sauna.

My conditioning is crap though. I've only been able to do 3 laps (there and back) I also like that it gets Mal back to the babysitting there. She seems to love it and it gets her around kids of all ages and ones that she doesn't know as well. I plan on going back tomorrow and Saturday, at least.

That should do it for today, thanks for stopping by.

I'm back baby!!!

That's right, after 2 years of living a completely different life, I've decided to return to my blog and resuscitate it. I have a mission. Since I stopped working 2 years ago (to the day?) I've put on nearly 25 pounds and I want to lose that and more and keep it off. I weighed myself today and I was 195lbs. For my height (5'6"), I should be around 150.

I'm going to use this blog now to continue talking about the everyday that I experience, but also to track my thoughts, progress, and anything else worth knowing in my quest to lose this weight. Unfortunately, I have to go finish cleaning the kitchen and take out the trash. I'd start some laundry, too, but I'm pretty tired right now.

I hope all is well with everyone who follows this blog and I hope to hear from all of you soon.

dave

Oh, and this is what my daughter looks like today:

Yeah yeah, I've been neglecting my blogging duties by not posting anything in several months, but I have a good reason: my wife Cara gave me a beautiful daughter a month ago. As you can see here, she likes to impersonate a koala.
It's been a lot of fun and nerve wracking at the same time. Most of the family has been down to see her, though my brother and his wife are coming this weekend. After them, I think that does it for the immediate family.
We're having a great time doing stupid things with her and taking pictures of it:


We just came back from Hanover, Pa where we celebrated Thanksgiving. It was Mallory's first car ride of more than 20 minutes and her first trip over state lines. Even though I tried to warn her, Mallory just couldn't help herself from eating all of the delicious food. She ate so much, her belly button blew:
I mean, look at that! In all my years of gorging myself on Doritos and stuffing at my aunt & uncle's house, I've never done anything like this.
Anyways, that is what has been going on around here. Well, there has been some other stuff, but this is the only part that is really worth mentioning....for now.

ttfn.

ps - I promise to get better with my posting, especially as I will be giving my two weeks' notice next week as I begin the next phase of my life, stay at home dad.

Hey, it's only been one month since my last post, go me!!
For those of you who haven't heard (Sorry, Mike) my wife is pregnant with a girl and due in mid-October. I like to think I've adjusted pretty well so far. So far everyone seems to be healthy and we've mostly been real happy. And before you ask, yes, I am: excited, anxious, nervous, scared outta my wits, and pretty much every other feeling there is (except thirsty, I'm fine there)
We had our first baby-related class yesterday, about epidurals. Good stuff.
They say babies cost a whole lot of money, and so far, that seems to be right. To justify any purchase of any kind, I find us saying "...you know, for the baby". Hence my recent purchase in 50 shares of Smith & Wesson stock. seriously, we're trying to get our house in order, which involves new carpet in the family room and we got our bathtub lined so now that bathroom is less pink. We're planning on putting down new tile and a new vanity in there. We'll keep the toilet though, it hasn't let us down. We're also thinking of getting a new door to the patio and a new garage door with an opener. I'm looking forward to the opener the most.
I'm still riding my bike to work most days and will continue to do so until my wife says I can't. I've done a few neighborhood tours (NYC 5 Borough, and Rockville, MD) Those were both in May. I don't really have any plans for any other rides for the forseeable future.
We did some travelling in the spring, too. In April, we went to visit the in-laws in Ft. Worth, TX for the better part of a week. I had never set foot out of an airport down there, so it was nice to see what's going on. As it turns out, not much. It's getting overdeveloped just like the rest of the country. We did drive up to Oklahoma for the Indian casino right over the border. I think I won $10 in the hour we were there.
Last month, we joined some friends of ours (and some of their friends) in Duck, NC, on the Outer Banks. It was our first time out there and it was very enjoyable. We rented a 7 bedroom house a block away from the beach. I rode my bike 60 miles on two different rides, spent many hours at the beach, won $35 at bingo, ate some weak barbecue (turns out I like KC style better) and spent a lot of money on groceries. Oh, the guys went flounder fishing one morning/afternoon. I wound up catching about 7 (I think 5 were keepers) and we ate them for dinner that night. Brian really knows how to fry a flounder. I had a great time. Cara mostly had a great time too, but she really missed her own bed so we left a day early. I'm sure we'll wind up back there sometime soon, the three of us that is.
All in all, everything seems to be going very well. The Jets & Knicks had good drafts (we'll find out how good soon enough) I got some potentially devistating news about a cousin that I can't & won't get into, but also found out that someone else got himself engaged. It looks like we're going to Phoenix in the spring.
Ooh, and perhaps the best news: my auto insurance went down by $15/month!!!
In the months to come, we have several more baby classes and will learn all there is to know about laying bathroom tile and how to move and reinstall a toilet. I'll let you know how that works out.
That's about all I got for today. what's new with all of you??

Holy crap, has it really been nearly 6 months since I last wrote? Anyways, I got a joke for you, via the old Truly Tasteless Jokes books that were popular in the 80s:

What's gross? Finding a dead squirrel in your yard.
What's grosser than gross? Finding just the tail the following week.

Thank you, you've been a great audience!

hehe, My last post was #69. Dude!
Not too much has been going on for me in the month of January, or so it seems. It started with a lame New Year's. Why lame? Knowing you have to work on New Year's Day really brings you down, even if you know that you weren't going to be doing anything anyway. Work did try to help by buying us lunch, but it was sandwiches from Panera. Not one of my favorites: too girly and everything is sneaky not so great for you. And freaking Chipotle wasn't even open!!! bastards.
I did fall for the first time on my bike ride to work. I knew there's a spot where it's always wet, and I knew the temperature was below freezing, I just didn't put it all together until I was already on the ice. Luckily, I slid more than fell with a thud so I just got a little dirty and sore. I didn't tear any clothes and I think my judo training helped me try to fall correctly (not put your hands out to catch you) Some guy in a truck was lucky enough to witness my daring do. I hope he enjoyed the show.
Perhaps the biggest news of the month is that my better half decided not to go to grad school. I have no doubt that she would have done very well there, I just wasn't sure if everything she would have learned was worth the time and money, and a lot of both of those. To celebrate, we enjoyed some fine food at the Melting Pot, the fondue chain that is probably overpriced, but BH enjoys it every time. I think we'd both be miserable if we went to a nice place that she didn't like. Me? I like everything, so that's not a problem.
I've managed to ride my bike about 200 miles this month. I still get people asking how I can do it. I dress in layers and keep moving so that I'm not outside for too long and I stay warm by not standing still. I put on a fender over the front tire to help keep water and gook off my legs and feet and made an attempt to replace my brake pads. Once we get a week with crappy weather, I'll bring in my ride for a tune up and have them make the adjustments, including truing up the wheels.
My parents came to town over MLK weekend. We had a good time, getting dinner at Big Fish Grille in Crofton on Saturday night. The food was pretty good, but a bit pricey. Sunday I took them to Eastern Market in Capitol Hill. I hadn't been there before either, but now I know where to go if I should need pig ears or tails!
That night, I made a roasted/broiled leg of lamb, courtesy of www.FoodNetwork.com. It turned out very well, and I got to eat lamb leftovers at least once a day for the next week and a half. I felt quite accomplished when I polished off the last of it.
This past weekend, we got together with 3 other couples, one of whom recently moved up to Philadelphia. The following morning, we got together at Silver Diner with my friend Jen and her husband Todd. They were in town for the anti-war protest. I had a great time as I had only seen Jen like once in the last 5+ years, at her wedding so I finally got to chat with Todd.
And the food wasn't even that bad!
One thing I've noticed recently is that I'm longing for the days of my middle teen years, when music really meant something to me. Between rock and my friends, I didn't really need anything else. I'm thinking of writing a lenthy blog about it, possibly involving saving drafts and editing and all that crap. I bet you can't wait. Maybe it's some kind of Early-Onset Midlife Crisis...
Oh, and I baked my first ziti last week. I think it was the easiest baked pasta I've made so far (macaroni & cheese, manicotti, & lasagna). I had leftovers today for lunch and dinner, and it was still good, possibly better than it was when I first made it.
Did I mention that I shampooed the carpet in the family room? Here's the before and after pics:
This one is what it looked like before.

Frankly, I'm not sure if you can tell much of a difference in these pics, but it made a HUGE difference.
I wound up having to rent 4 different shampooing machines from two different places because the first three and a half didn't work. After returning the first three, and having the guy at the store prove the fourth one worked, I finally got the thing to work. The only thing different I did was to use a different outlet. Now, I'm not as dumb as that sounds (really!). All four would turn on and make noise, but only with this other outlet did the soapy water start coming out and did the brush start doing stuff. Go figure.
In the "After" pic, it looks like I missed a few spots, but that's only the direct sunlight coming in from the window, the rest of the room is fairly dark.
I'm pretty sure I had some deep thoughts that were worth mentioning, but of course now I can't remember them. Fudge.
Oh well, this should keep you busy for a while.

TTFN

In case you hadn't heard, we went to Orlando just after Thanksgiving. My whole plan was to do anything that didn't cost over $10 to get in. So f you Mr. Disney and Mr. Shamu, and especially you, Mr. Universalstudios. Someone suggested that I go to Kennedy Space Center, which sounded intriguing, but then I found that it would take nearly the whole day, if not more, to see the whole place, it was about an hour away, and something like $30 to get in, so f you Tom Hanks and Mr. Nasa. I did find that I could drive up to Daytona in about an hour, and I found a coupon for admission to Daytona International Raceway (in case a Canadian showed up) so the total cost would only be $20. Sold!
It turned out to be just about all you can expect a race track to be. There were some displays, a history of how it was made and famous events. I took a few pictures:









Here I am celebrating my victory in the gift shop. It's not easy finding something reasonably priced in Nascar. I thought I had a better picture taken, but I was toting a lot of technology for those rednecks I rode with on the tram car ("Please watch...") I mean, I thought denim was cutting edge in 1850, but not with these guys. Yech.
Here I am cheering myself on. Everyone else was in the bathroom after drinking way too much of Jr.'s main sponsor: (That'd be Budwiser)You can see the cloud cover. It made the track a bit slick and we had some harrowing moments on the tram car. Since I didn't want to be labeled a narc or worse, possibly Canadian, I had to remove my shirt.
The next day, in addition to the celebrating you just saw, I blew off some steam at one of the many buffets on International Drive in Orlando. I wonder which weighs more: the food consumed in one day at all of the buffets in town, or Epcot Center. (Speaking of which, does anyone know what they keep in there? Is it storage for a wig outlet like the tower from the 1984 World Fair in Knoxville, TN?)

And here is what I left them with:


Note how I went back for seconds. THAT's how you blend in with rednecks: gorging. The buffet was at the aptly named Cici's Pizza. All that food cost me about $5!!!
I think I downloaded some pics from my trip that night to Cafe TuTu Tango but I don't know where they are.
Man, all this food talking is making me hungry. I think I'm going to have some beer and pretzels while watching the 2nd half of the International Bowl. That's right, the battle between Cincinnati and Western Michigan is too big to be contained within American borders. They had to send it to Toronto. Hopefully, the drunken Bearcat revelers won't start any international incidents. I don't know if the US will take anyone hiding from the Mounties like they did with our Vietnam draft skedaddlers. Someone should look in to that.

On a side note: It's early January and nearly 70 degrees and I don't have any plans on going outside today, except to bring our cardboard to be recycled, which I already did. I was thinking of going on a 44 mile bike ride with the Oxon Hill Bike Club but my better half talked my wuss self out of it. I could use the exercise. I broke 180lbs for the first time in a couple years last week, Damn you pork products. How lean is venison? Maybe I should've had some of that...

have a good weekend, I'll write more later.

My all time favorite holiday movies (in order):
1. Ernest Saves Christmas
2. Bad Santa
3. Christmas Vacation
4. Elf
5. Santa Does Dallas
6. Harold & Kumar go to christmas
7. Bill & Santa's Excellent Adventure

if I ever attain public office, I promise to mandate that anyone who wishes to use the self-scan thingy at the grocery store (or anywhere that has one) he must pass a test and get a license which must be updated on a regular basis, like every five years or so.

Porch sittin'
So it looks like the great Commonwealth (whatever that means) of Virginia will be banning same sex marriage. Good for them. I still don't get it. What's so important about keeping two people from doing what they want to?? What is there to be gained by keeping marriage strictly heterosexual? The sanctity of it? What a load of bullshit. how many marriages out there are shams? What about that Representative from Florida, whatshisname, Foley? Now there's a reason to keep gays from marrying. What the right is forgetting is that there isn't a marriage problem with him, because the objects of his affection aren't old enough to get legally married.
I've been happily married for over two years, thus giving me a soapbox to bitch from. I say if two people really want to get married, and if that involves being out of the closet and having to put up with more shit than any straight person can imagine, then let them. We've been allowing people to get married just for a green card for years, how is that any less a violation of the sanctity of marriage?

Random thought: I want some Chinese food.

and I'm back. Actually, that's about all I have to say. People are still allowed to carry guns around, how is that a more important liberty than being allowed to marry someone of the same sex??

Perhaps more importantly, the college basketball season officially starts tonight, and the mercurial Maryland team is really taking it to Hampdon in the first half 30-13. This should be an interesting year. For the first time since 2004, they have an actual point guard. Not just that, but they have TWO!!! Hopefully, coach Williams remembers what to do with them. They have 5 newcomers on the team, and most of the rest of the team wasn't around for their ACC championship. All I ask for is that their players play like they're supposed to. For 4 year we had to put up with Travis Garrison, a 6'9" forward repeatedly hand around the three-point line and hoist up jumpers. He was the only one who didn't seem to know that the team would have been better off if he set up in the paint. I think he learned his softness from Tahj Holden.
I'm trying to watch this movie called Crime & Punishment in Suburbia and I have no f'ing clue what is going on, aside from some girl whose parents have separated. She is quite good at showing off her chest. All I've figured out so far is that her boyfriend was in Detroit Rock City. I just read that this movie is loosely based on Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" which I own, but have no intention on reading. From what I gather about Russian writers, I have no chance at being able to understand what is going on without being able to put forth an effort that I just don't have. you know what that's like, right?

Oh, and remind me to tell you about my riding in the Tour du Port.

ttfn

Porch sittin'
And on a related note: Countries I've been to:

Canada (Ontario & Quebec, a couple times each)
Tijuana, Mexico
Aruba
St. Lucia
England
Germany
and I almost went to Holland when I was about 7, but my grandmother passed away the night before : (
I feel like I'm missing one. I'm sure someone will let me know (I'm pretty sure New England doesn't count)

Porch sittin'
Ah, homeownership. Our town will vacuum up your leaves (I think that's how they do it) twice a year, usually once in November and once in December. They sent out the schedule a few weeeks ago and I made sure to put our street's dates into Outlook. For whatever reason, I thought the first suck-up was next week. When I got to work this morning, a reminder popped up that the sucking begins this Wednesday and all of our leaves are still strewn about the yard.
Sunset these days is just after 5pm, or right when I leave the office, and with my bike ride home (yes, still) it's good and dark by the time I get home. but still, we have a lot of leaves (and pine needles (EVERgreen my ass) and all I have to do is rake them down the hill to the curb. It sure beats raking everything into piles, putting it all into bags that I have to pay for, and then putting the bags into the garage and a few days later, carrying those same bags down to the curb to be picked up by the trashmen (not the Surfin' Bird band)
so today when i got home, I put on my sneakers and raked like the dickens, still in my bike clothes. I think I like raking in the dark. If I miss a spot, I probably won't know about it, I'm not going to miss a bunch of football, and it's cooler so I won't sweat up a storm, and maybe some of the annoying neighbors stay away from me, the eccentric Old Man Greene. Frankly, I don't see a downside.
And, I didn't miss out on forming the callous (sp??) on my thumb from my work gloves. Who needs all that skin anyways?

Porch sittin'
You know what I have decided is fun? Unnecessarily bidding on items on ebay. I just drove up the price of a cycling jacket from $10 to $30. Not only do you get to help the economy while still sitting in front of the tv, you get a little rush, just like playing low-stakes blackjack.
I could also feel this way after getting jilted on an auction on Friday night when I missed a bid in the last 5 seconds.
Now that you know this, don't bid against me, I'll find you.

Porch sittin'
Alec Baldwin quote: "The Italians have a saying, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but they've never won a war or mass produced a decent car...'"

Random List:

States that I've been in for a significant amount of time:
1. New Jersey
2. New York
3. Massachussets
4. Connecticut
5. New Hampshire
6. Vermont
7. Maine
8. Rhode Island
9. Pennsylvania
10. Ohio
11. Maryland
12. Delaware
13. Virginia
14. West Virginia
15. Kentucky
16. Tennessee
17. Georgia
18. Florida
19. South Carolina
20. North Carolina
21. Louisiana
22. California
23. Oregon
24. Michigan


States that I've had a layover in but never left the airport: Illinois, Texas, Colorado....I think that's it. Texas will be getting bumped up to the big list next year when we go visit the in-laws.
Speaking of the in-laws: they apparently have a 'friendly' contest going to see who can visit the most states. My f-i-l drove up to Oklahoma for the day to cross one off earlier this year. Upon stopping at the Welcome Center, he was asked why he was visiting that day. His reply, "to beat my wife"

Porch sittin'
So what have I been up to this last fortnight? Not too damn much. My movie reviews of late:
Blue Juice - some British guy is living with Catherine Zeta Jones but would rather surf (in England) It was a completely unbelievable movie. Who would piss off your really hot girlfriend like that. He should take advice from Milhouse "Once she sees I'll do anything she says, she's bound to respect me"
Oh, Ewan MacGregor was in it, but I didn't recognize him until the last 15 minutes....maybe if I was paying attention.

Stick It was the much publicized gymnastics movie from the spring. It was watchable but lame and the whole time I felt like the Feds were waiting outside to bust me for renting it.

The Cooler with William H Macy and Dr. Delamico from Er was pretty good. He plays a casino employee whose job is to bring bad luck to people who are winning and how pathetic his life is.

Sadly, that about does it. I'm currently waiting out the Yankee rain delay by watching Flashdance. The boyfriend is now known as Dr. Roberts on the OC, fyi.
I know what you're saying "Flashdance?" with the same intonation as Jim Mora and his 'playoffs' quote. Watching it again, I think it was the whole Manhung song and dance that made me a man, at least it did more than any Bar Mitzvah ever did. Take that, Mr. Nachman!!!
It's nice have theMets & Yankees in the playoffs and that they're expected to go far. I'll have something to watch and read about while Fox delays their quality programming (OC, simpsons, Family Guy, that Woodcock show)
The only drawback is that my movie watching will go down.
This past weekend was pretty uneventful. I finally got around to buying paint for the dresser I came in to in college. I stripped off all the paint back then (99 or 2000) but never got around to repainting it. I got some bland neutral color for it. Hopefully I can still find the hardware that hasn't been on it for over five years.
I feel about about not having blogged since mid-September. I've noticed that several of the blogs I read on a daily basis are on hiatus or have ended all toghether. Now I need to find something else. Does anybody out there have any suggestions? I'm looking for something entertaining but not too serious.
Can someone explain to me how Byung Hung Kim is still pitching? Or is his role the guy you put in when you don't care if you lose, you just dont' want the game to go too late because you have to get out of town or have a day game tomorrow?

For those of you who might ask, yes I am still riding my bike to work most days. I missed a bunch of time in Sept due to a cold and several rainy days, but the last couple of weeks have been great. I'm starting to realize, however, that I should get some lights for when i'm riding in the morning and soon when I ride home, since sunset is getting closer to 6:00, and that's before the end of daylight savings.
Anyways, I'm gonna get shopping (on Amazon, natch) and then get Cara upstairs where she'll hopefully stop snoring. That Benadryl really knocks her out.

ttfn!

Couch Sittin
So it's the weekend and what are we doing? Bubkus.
Last night we went out for a small celebatory dinner because my better half made herself even MORE better. You didn't think she could do that, did you? Me either. We ate at TJ Elliot's on 197 in Bowie. I had the scallops scampi which was quite tasty. Cara got some kind of steak with sauteed peppers, onions, and garlic on top. For dessert, we split an a slice of apple pie a la mode.
We found out that my in-laws contracted on a house in Ft. Worth, so I spent the rest of the evening looking up restaurants in town and signing up for nearly a dozen e-mail lists at said eateries. Cara fell asleep early and I watched a bunch of crap on tv (Jimmy Kimmel show, some show about dogfights on History Channel, etc)
Today I got up early to pay some bills and stuff like that.
Cara and I both got a smile out of her disputing a charge on a new credit card, some kind of fee that we didn't initiate. I LOVE that she's on my side.
We got lunch (my breakfast) at the diner again (not a complaint) where we each got the turkey burger deluxe, mine with swiss. They were delicious.
I spent the rest of the day watching and sleeping through college football. I'm thrilled that UM beat notre dame.
What'd be really nice is if the Mets could beat the Pirates just once, a team they're ahead of by 30 games!
We had some steak for dinner and then Cara went off to a bachelorette party where she'll probably skip out on the line dancing portion of the evening. I can't really blame her, since she doesn't line dance and she doesn't know any of the girls. Still, it's a chance to drink a lot; if it was me, I'd probably take one for the team. However, I haven't heard from her yet, so maybe she got talked into going out with them...
Since I haven't had the chance to ride my bike in over a week, I got back on the treadmill, watching an episode of The Wire. To celebrate, I'm pounding the gin & tonics.
I got out of work early yesterday so I watched Mystery Men via Netflix. It was just plain awful. Ben Stiller just isn't funny and neither is Janine Garofolo. Don't bother wasting your time by watching this movie.
And if you haven't heard, the Booty administration has started in southern California.
tomorrow I plan on watching pro football all day.
Our big plans for the weekend are to go to the new Giant grocery store that opened up yesterday. I'm gonna make two different chili recipes. One is from Men's Health, but I'll let Cara have some if she wants to anyway.
I'll let y'all know how that goes.

ttfn

Porch sittin'
so I went to the new Nautilus Diner this morning with my Better Half and I must say: It's Goooooooooooooooooood!!!!!!!

We each had an omelet with coffee. The line was out the door but it moved quickly and the service was great. They even have mints near the register, though they're the not as good ones with the colored goo inside.
I'm thinking about going back tomorrow for lunch, but I shouldn't because we have plenty of stuff here.
We drove out to Falls Church to the house of our next friends to be married (October) where we watched football and ate and drank a lot. I got to watch the Jets while the other tv was showing the Browns/Saints game. The jets looked pretty good although they couldn't run the ball all day which helped lead to the titans coming back in the 4th.
I had a great time sharing a couch with Carlton and his attempts at predicting bad things happening to the Jets and we all made fun of Anne and her coupon-cutting but I think we're all kinda jealous of her discipline.
It looks like I'm going to lose my fantasy game unless Joseph Addai runs for like 4 tds in the last 4 minutes. Oh well, I do have a roster move to make, once yahoo lets me do it. I'll tell you all about it later, I don't want anyone in my league getting him before I do.

Couch Sittin
so it's officially fall, college football all day Saturday, pro all day Sunday followed by new Simpsons and Family Guy. Thankfully, we got our laptop back up and running. For some reason, every so often, we have to disconnect our internet and let everything reset.
The big news in the last month+ is that our AC broke, specifically the condenser. That alone costs $2G to replace. Since our HVAC and water heater are all 12 years old, we decided to go the Full Monty and have all of them replaced, which will be done on Monday. It's $7.5G to get it all done by a local company.
I was sitting home that Tuesday before Labor Day, watching movies, and I didn't really notice that the AC wasn't working. I knew it was warmer during the day but I didn't know by how much.
Luckily, the weather hasn't gotten much over 85 during the day so its been tolerable. I don't mind sweating but not when I don't want to, like when you first sit in a hot car, or just walking around outside.
On the plus side, I get to take a day off from work
and I plan on watching several movies (The commitments, Bachelor party, the Wire 2.3, something on cable) and to finally mow the lawn. I haven't done that in a month, since the day after I last donated blood, sometime in late July.

What else have I done? I just finished the Best August Ever. For the most part, it was pretty Augusty except this time I got to go to a Hog Roast, a Crab Feast, and the Yanks swept a five game series in Boston. I'm sure there was other stuff, but those are the highlights.
The hog roast was at my boyfriend-in-law's grandmother's farm in rural PA. Apparently, this is an annual thing so I will be buying a tent a a two-person sleeping bag for next year. They went through 4.5 kegs!!! I got to eat a piece of tongue, straight out of the mouth. It was a little dry, and Sam agrees that it wasn't as good as it could be. We had to leave early as the in-laws were back in town for the first time in a while and we had to see them.
The following weekend we were invited to Ann & Carlton's crab feast. Since it was our first one, we didn't know to show up right on time. We got there an hour after everyone else and most of the crabs were alredy gone. since I didn't eat too much, and Cara had even less, we went to Urban Barbecue with Brian & megan. Good stuff. Bonus: Jets beat the Redskins that night, too.
Labor Day weekend, although not in August was also good. It rained all day Friday which I don't mind because we don't have AC. I took a half day and we spent the afternoon eating pho and getting ready for our Friends Worthy of Fine China dinner. We had to remove a lot of bar code stickers from pricey dishes. Sam & Annie came down Saturday afternoon and everyone had a good time setting up and watching football. Everything worked out perfectly, we even got to use 3 coupons at Papa Johns on one order!
The next day, we all went up to Hanover as the in-laws were moving to Dallas two days later. Sam informed me in the moring that the annual Chili Cook Off was going on that day and we were both excited to go to that. I ate at least 3 dozen chilis and 4 beers. I also got a t-shirt and a metal chili cup that I can use at other competitions.
Tomorrow we're going to Falls Church for an NFL Opening Day get together. I'm going to my office to pick up my bike (I wasn't feeling well enough to ride home yesterday) and stop by the famer's market.
Big News: The Nautulus Diner on Rt. 3 in Crofton is finally open!!!! We're going tomorrow for breakfast when I'll have an omelet (maybe a western) w/ home fries and toast. I have waited for this day since the winter.
Wow, Tony Stewart is out of the Chase. I know of at least one person and an entire family who are quite despondent right now.
I do have some pictures to post from the Chili cook off and the FWoFC dinner, but they're upstairs and I'm not. Maybe when we get AC again I'll post them.

That's about it for now. I'm going to try to be more postable from now on, especially since our laptop in on-line again, I have no excuse.

ttfn!