Goals Check In Week #7

1. Lose 70 lbs. That's less than 2 lbs a week, but more than 1.
1a. Work out a minimum of 4 days a week, but shooting for 5.

- I got up to 3 days this week. I've also gotten back down from the weight I fluctuated back and forth on the last couple of weeks.

2. Read 40 books. That's less than 1 book a week but more than I currently read.

- I've moved on to book 3 and am reading it at quite a clip. I promised Kristen I would give the Harry Potter books a shot, so after this book I'm reading now, I'll be reading at least the first two of those books. The things I do for that girl.

6. Let Kristen know how much I love her everyday.

- I'm going to read the god damn Harry Potter books. 'Nuff said.

13. Find a new job.

- Still waiting to hear about an internship through school. Also brainstorming some other possible things I could do.

song of the week 2/19/10

“Somebody That I Used To Know” by Elliot Smith

Can you imagine what it’s like to stab yourself in the chest? I hate to go straight there when talking about someone I have just recently identified as a musical genius, but man, what an intense way to kill yourself. You can’t hesitate. You have to come down really hard to pierce the sternum. Not only that, but you have to do it at such an awkward angle, so even more force is needed. There’s something truly symbolic to me about that act. And before you fill my comment box (which never happens), I know it was never officially ruled a suicide, but it hasn’t been ruled out, and in reading the story, murder seems unlikely.

I don’t know how I miss out on things like this, but I missed the bus on Elliot Smith. When he killed himself, I remarked to my friend Frannie that I had never heard his stuff, and she made me a CD. I don’t know if I didn’t listen to it carefully enough, but he just wasn’t on my radar. I hate to think of all the other music I’ve missed out on in my life.

Goals Check In Week #6

11. Try a vegetable every month.
12. Try some other new food every month (this one is negotiable, new foods aren't super easy to come by on a low income. For example, I've always wanted to try lobster, but it's too expensive to take the chance and I'm never in the position to try someone elses.)

- Mission accomplished. I made mexican for Kristen and I Saturday night. Kristen made some guacamole. I tried a bite of that. It wasn't horrible. I don't know that I would order it myself, but, I wouldn't mind sharing an order with people at restaurants. So that's avocado and guacamole both tried. Boom!

Song of the Week 2/12/2010

"My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama" by Frank Zappa feat. Stevie Ray Vaughn

I ACTUALLY REMEMBERED TO DO THIS!!

So there's no question in my mind that on the short list of great guitar players, Stevie Ray Vaughn is the tops. Despite this being a Zappa song, he's really the star of the song. I don't have a whole lot to say about it apart for the lead guitar work is incredible. I wanted to post an mp3 or something, but this is a live track and I couldn't find it anywhere. I also was not able to upload it myself from my files. Sorry. Unfortunately, the album version of this track doesn't feature SRV, so I can't say it would be as good. But, I really don't know, you'd have to ask Joe Krause.

Goals Check In Week #5

1. Lose 70 lbs. That's less than 2 lbs a week, but more than 1.
1a. Work out a minimum of 4 days a week, but shooting for 5.

- I did terribly this week. Hardly worked out and didn't eat very well. But this week is already going ok in that department. Didn't workout today (Monday is an off day due to a night class) but haven't overeaten either. Kristen has suggested smaller, more attainable side goals so that I can have some victories. So side goal one is to be below 360 by the end of February.

2. Read 40 books. That's less than 1 book a week but more than I currently read.

- Still working on book #2. So I'm not doing well with this either. I think I'll read a play after this, since those are usually short, and that way I can get back on track. Cheating? Maybe.

5. Live more life.

- Spent most of the weekend in the house playing my PS3, but Kristen and I did take a nice walk down to the lake to look at the ice.

6. Let Kristen know how much I love her everyday.

- Kristen and I had a bit of a fight this weekend, but it was resolved amicably and we spent the rest of the weekend madly in love.

7. Learn a new skill.

- I'm thinking about website design maybe.

8. Become a better improviser.

- I had a pretty good show on Sunday. Not my best, but got some compliments both about the team and my personal performance.

9. Be a better friend.

- I'm having some trouble defining this. I've been burned by some people I thought were better friends in the last few weeks and it's making me have trouble trusting the people I'm trying to build a lasting relationship with. I think most of it is in my head.

10. Learn a new recipe a month.

- Didn't learn one in January, but I'm researching and working on developing my own chili recipe.

11. Try a vegetable every month.

- Nothing in January, but Kristen got some avocados the other day and says I should try guacamole.

12. Try some other new food every month (this one is negotiable, new foods aren't super easy to come by on a low income. For example, I've always wanted to try lobster, but it's too expensive to take the chance and I'm never in the position to try someone elses.)

- Didn't do it in January. I got Chorizo on some nachos at the bar the other night instead of Chicken. This was the first time I've ordered Chorizo on anything. I thought I had had it before and didn't like it, but just this morning I realized I had it confused with Andouille.

13. Find a new job.

- Today was frustrating. Seems like Monday is usually the day when I am most focused on looking for a new job when I get off work. It's not the company's fault, it's just the nature of the job.

15. Participate in the mini sprint Chicago Triathalon in August.

- I'm pretty sure I'm going for my first swim tomorrow. Just have to remember to pack my swimsuit and a towel/flip flops for the gym.

Photo Credit: Lindsay Williams.

Did a show last night with You People. I had a great time as usual. I was suprised to see that we had any audience at all, being Super Bowl Sunday and all, but we had a small, but still excited audience. I got play with one of my favorite older teams (Gold Star) and also one of the newer teams, The Bird and The Bison. Both had great shows. We were pretty good too.

I need to work on getting involved in the all team stuff that occurs in the shows. There's always a game of Freeze or The Dream or both featuring all of the evenings performers and I just can't seem to get out there.

This is probably not the popular stance to take on this little SNAFU, but seriously what's the big deal?

Ok, so if you didn't hear the news, NBC's commissary is featuring a special lunch every Thursday for Black History Month. One of their chefs, who has been on staff for 8 years, put this menu together. This chef also happens to be black. I don't necessarily think that the color of her skin matters as to right or wrong, but for me, it takes a lot of the sting off. It's definitely less racist for a black person to serve a soul food menu for Black History Month than to picture the Executive Board of NBC saying "Oh, so how about for Black History Month we serve the Negros their corn bread and fried chicken?" No, it's just good old fashioned comfort food that has become known as Soul Food.

This lead me to wonder, what if on the 14th of July, NBC had a special Bastille day menu and they served Pate, Eclairs, and Beef Bourguignon with champagne to drink. I don't think people would get all up in arms because IT'S FRENCH CUISINE! It's no more insulting to say that French people enjoy the cuisine of their culture than to say that blacks do. No one is saying that all French people eat is duck liver pate. They are just saying it's a French cuisine. Soul Food is something the black community has made their own and good lord is it delicious. Fried Chicken and Cornbread is the ultimate meal in my opinion.

For real America, you're getting too sensitive.

There is no more attractive quality to me in a person than sense of humor. Luckily Kristen can make me laugh and it's one of the reasons I love her.

I especially like when she "plays Armada" for me. "Playing Armada" is the term I've given for when she lets her small town upbringing shine through. This would be things like believing that Arby's is a upscale dining experience.

Goals Check In Week #4

1. Lose 70 lbs. That's less than 2 lbs a week, but more than 1.
1a. Work out a minimum of 4 days a week, but shooting for 5.

- Only worked out two days this week. My birthday weekend was a calorie filled diet destroyer. The scale that I had rigged (rather than buying a new one when the piece broke off) needs to be re-rigged. All of this leads to me not weighing in this morning and not seeing the damage done. To be fair, most of my eating was one giant meal a day and then not eating the rest of the day. Saturday, for example, we ate a gigantic lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and simply could not eat another thing the whole day.

2. Read 40 books. That's less than 1 book a week but more than I currently read.

- Still working on book #2, so I'm not really on pace.

4. Continue to stick to my budget.

- Spent a lot of money this weekend, but also received a lot of money.

5. Live more life.

- Man oh man, we did a lot of fun stuff this weekend.

6. Let Kristen know how much I love her everyday.

- Having fun with Kristen always reminds me just how much I love her. We were very lovey dovey this weekend.

13. Find a new job.

- I have my internship interview on Friday, which I'm hoping will lead to an internship with a firm I like, which could lead to a job offer near the end. Had a bad day at work, which was a motivator to start really looking instead of talking about it.

15. Participate in the mini sprint Chicago Triathalon in August.

- I've done some more research and talked with Kristen about the Triathalon. I'm going to do the mini-sprint for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that, even though it's the easiest one, it will be a challenge, but a challenge I can hit head on. Also, the big one, it's cheaper.