Icy Roads = me not driving

I usually like driving in snowy and icy conditions because it can be fun when you know what you are doing. I don't like driving in these conditions when they happen to take place during rush hour or the street you are staying on hasn't been plowed yet and is basically an uphill sheet of ice. Add in the fact that my car has a turbo that produces a lot of low-end torque that causes it to spin out a lot. I am completely content working from home and having Lost on in the background. This is 9:00 AM today:





Thank god I work for a company that allows me to work from home.

Pictures from New York

In chronological order:


Dessert (S'mores) at Max Brenner in Union Square Thursday night


Friday afternoon walking along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade


Somewhere after the Promenade on the way to the Brooklyn Bridge


Starting across the Brooklyn Bridge


The East River down toward the Statue of Liberty


I kinda wish I had a nicer camera or an SLR for this one

In NYC

I have been neglecting the hell out of this blog and probably will be posting sparingly over the next few weeks until I actually accomplish something noteworthy to write about.  

I figured being in New York was worth writing about ... especially since I have been having a lot of fun and relaxing.  I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday and would love to do that on a regular basis if I lived up here.  It was right around sunset when we (my friend Vanessa from college and I) were crossing and the skyline behind the Statue of Liberty was gorgeous.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow or Monday when I have the ability to upload them.  

Tonight I am going to a vegan restaurant to celebrate the birthday of one of Vanessa's friends.  Should be an interesting time trying to figure out what I am eating since I don't know what half the stuff on the menu is other than that it doesn't include anything from an animal.  There is ice cream on the desert menu and I am kinda curious to try it since it doesn't include any milk.  We'll see how this goes.

Watchmen Widget

Friday Update

I had my first indoor soccer game Wednesday night and realized that I have absolutely 0 ability to recover after sprinting. After the game I felt like I was going to die ... that was either from the game or from still being somewhat sick. We won the game after several controversial calls and I am looking forward to getting to a point I can play for longer periods of time because I don't think I am that bad.

Yesterday was a fun day because I felt like the bronchitis was coming back when I woke up and ended up not going to work. Throughout the day I started to feel better and figured it must have been from the cold or some kind of bronchitis after-shock ... like an earthquake. I went to the gym early to do some cardio before my personal training session. The session started with me weighing in ... 268.6 lbs. I think something must be wrong with the scale cause that would mean just about 10 pounds and I feel like I haven't been doing much. My "diet" has gone to shit and I am eating things I said I wouldn't, I am not going to the gym when I have planned because I am too tired and I still haven't gone to one of the spinning classes I really want to do. We'll see how this all turns out in the end.

After the gym I signed my team up for BSSC Volleyball. That should be fun and a lot more relaxing than our VBall House leagues.

This weekend is going to be rough. Tonight it Jenny's birthday party ... with a keg (hopefully its calorie-free beer). Tomorrow morning/afternoon is a group workout then the Aquarium and I'm sure lunch out. Tomorrow night is a party of some sort that I can't really define until after tomorrow night, but there will be lots of food and drinks and I am obligated to have a good time. Then comes the football games on Sunday ... I don't know how those will turn out. On the plus side, expect lots of pictures from this weekend.

Something tells me the first two digits of my next weigh-in will be a 2 and a 7.

Finally, Something in My House is Different

I was in a weird mood yesterday and decided that I wanted to accomplish something. I didn't take a before picture so here is a description of my stairs. Originally they were covered in nasty burnt looking carpet (which there are old pictures of) ... when I tore up the carpet a while back the stairs were covered with linoleum and had metal pieces on the edge of each step. There were also a ton of tacks and staples in the stairs from the carpet.

I figured it wouldn't take long to tear up the linoleum and pull out all the staples/tacks and it would look a lot better and give me that sense of accomplishment I was looking for. This worked and now I am re-motivated to work on stuff. The next steps are to pick up my dad's belt sander Wednesday and sand off all the adhesive. I think I may sand the risers too and take off the white paint, but haven't decided on that yet.

WTF BGE

I got my BGE bill yesterday and it's $216. My average bill over the summer was around $65 and my bill last month was $144. My highest bill before December was around $90 (since last March when I bought the place). How the F did my bill get that high. I keep my house below 55 degrees and have the supposedly more efficient radiator heat. The electric portion of my bill actually went down from last month ... the gas usage per day went up 50%. How is this possible, the average daily temp only went down 5 degrees. My house is less than 850 square feet. I turned my heat and my hot water heater down from last month. I rarely even hear the boiler running. Really ... What-The-Fuck!!!

So, I am thinking I am just going to shut the boiler down and hope none of my pipes freeze. I don't mind the cold and have nice blanket to wrap up in.

Phelps in Fells

I went to Max's in Fells Point this weekend to watch the Ravens - Titans game and just wanted to show everyone this picture.

Apparently Phelps went to Max's a while back and didn't bring his ID. The bouncers wouldn't let him in because he didn't have it (pesky laws) and he was insistent on getting in because he is Michael Phelps (and was of legal drinking age at the time). Being that Phelps is considered (by many) a Maryland/Baltimore icon, he gets talked about a lot around here. I don't know him as a person and don't really have an opinion of him either way, but have heard from many that went to school with him (or have met him) that he is pretty full of himself. Honestly ... can you blame him? I know if I was the best swimmer in the world and hold as many records as he does ... I would probably be pretty hard to deal with. I already seem overly confident about everything I do and pretty much screw up as much as I succeed. Think how I would be if I acheived the level of international success he has. I am not defending him (maybe I am a little) and if I met him and he was an ass to me, I would be just as much of an ass right back. I am just saying that I can understand how he may be full of himself. Not every celebrity can be grounded. That's really all I got on this subject.

Progress, maybe?

I went to the doctor yesterday (which I hate doing and avoid at all costs) and was told I have bronchitis and that is why I am sick and have been coughing like my lungs are trying to get out through my throat. It's really a fun time, especially when I have been working out. This is a reason for the lack of posts.

Last night I went to the Capitals game with Jenny, K and M. This was the first game I have been to since I was a kid and it was a great time. The Caps lost and there was definitely a goal they scored that wasn't called. There was also a fight where Brashear on the Caps dropped a guy from the other team in one hit. The best part of the game though was the first intermission, they brought two groups of youth hockey players out (had to be 8 -10 years old or something) and they scrimmaged for about 3 minutes and it was hilarious. The only bad part of the game was that I had a couple beers and some food I probably should have passed on.





Today the Ravens play the Titans and I will be over in Fells Point to watch it. Luckily, I worked out this morning and can't move my arms so I won't be able to drink more than a beer or two. Go Ravens!!

Oh and Uncle Lance, I am not holding out ... just waiting till the appropriate time.

Beginning of a Long Journey

Monday was the start of my weight loss competition and I weighed in at a hearty 278.2 pounds. Unfortunately, I was still feeling sick (but with a different illness than last week) and couldn’t work out after. Instead, I planned on getting up super-early yesterday and going to the gym at work with one of my co-workers. 5:30 AM came and I felt terrible, I texted her that I wouldn’t be there and ended up staying in bed until 9:30ish. Got into work late and was in a haze all day.

On the plus side, even though I haven’t been able to work out yet, I started my healthy eating habits. I didn’t have any soda or beer yesterday (but I did have 2 glasses of wine with dinner) and drank (or is it drunk?) over a gallon of water throughout the day. Dinner was by far the best meal of the day and was graciously prepared for me by Jenny. We had a spinach salad with hard-boiled egg and turkey bacon mixed in, season asparagus, brown rice and a nice piece of salmon (which is lunch today). This was paired with a Riesling from Boordy Vineyards of Maryland.



Tonight I won’t be able to have a nice prepared meal because I am playing in my indoor soccer league. My only hope for the game tonight is to come out of it being able to walk since my ankle still isn’t 100%.

Also, anyone reading this should expect a lot of posts like this over the next several weeks, but don’t worry … I’ll still be doing a lot of fun things and will (hopefully) get back to working on my house so I can provide updates on that.

2009 - The Year of Firsts?

Well, to be fair I can't designate the entire year already because it has only been a week and thinking about it, 2008 had a lot of firsts in it too (buying a house, starting a blog). I guess I will consider this a year for expanding my horizons and experiencing firsts on a smaller scale.

With the exception of being sick, the year so far has been great from the first minutes after midnight up to the minute I started writing this post (even during when I got a nice phone call).

I got my first taste of Baltimore's Sip & Bite 24 hour diner on Boston Street New Year's Day. I have driven by there many times and always wanted to try it. I was surprised how small it was, but loved the atmosphere and the food was pretty good to. Jenny mentioned how it reminded her of a diner from where we went to college and I definitely had to agree. The service, the open kitchen, the atmosphere and even the food was just like the Colonial (where I spent many weekend mornings trying to get over the night before).

My other first came in the form of something I have done before; ice skating. I am still considering it a first because of the venue, Patterson Park ... did you know that big white bubble complex is a skating rink?? I didn't, I thought it was indoor tennis courts. I think it has been somewhere between 8 and 10 years since I went ice skating. My group of friends used to roller blade in high school and we'd ice skate in the winter. I recall being pretty decent but all those memories were shattered when I got on the ice Saturday. The rental skates weren't sharp, the ice had bigger groves in it than the ice luge at my last party and my ankle was still trying to get over a moderate sprain from two weeks earlier. Don't get me wrong, it was fun ... and definitely a great value ($6 for entry and rental), but I think I would be better off with my own (sharpened) skates and a smoother surface. If the company remains the same, I'll definitely be back on the ice sometime in the near future.

Happy New Years and Birthday

Sorry I have been MIA lately but I was sick for a few days and didn't feel like moving from the cocoon I created in my bed.

Luckily though, I was able to make it out for NYE celebrations and so far have had a great 2009. I also want to say Happy 30th Birthday to my sister.

That's really all I got for right now since I am running on fumes today because of a fun movie night. Maybe I'll put together some kind of list of resolutions or goals or something like that. I really want to find some kind of continuity with this blog since I have strayed from my original intention of focusing on my house ... but the description does say anything is fair game.