Nights, Beers, Bummer, a Birthday, and B-Ball

Last week I was asked to come help the night shift with one of the projects I've been working on - so tonight I'm going to work nights.

The cool thing about working nights is that you get to sleep late, and it really does feel like you have more free time. I remember thinking when I first went back to days that all my 'free' time just disappeared. Never have really figured that one out. At any rate, I got to hang out at the house this morning with the wife, the beagle, and the cat. We ate pancakes and I built a fire. Nice and cozy morning. Hell, it's cold outside and I do have to work today, so my lazy morning was justified. At least to me it was.

I can't remember if I've posted about being on the board of a local homebrew club, but I am. Last night we had a meeting to discuss an upcoming competition we are hosting. We discussed mundane things like what awards we will give out, what days we will judge, what this, what that.... The most fun thing about it was drinking the beer. Our meetings are held in a local home brew supply store, and the guy who runs it always has some type of beer on tap, out of a refrigerator. It's great!

Update on the ski trip...it got cancelled. Bummer. The trip to Denver got canceled, and then the wife and I were thinking we'd use frequent flyer miles to get us out there for a weekend of snowy fun. But then we realized we only had enough miles to get one of us there, and the tickets were over $300, plus we'd have to add in a rental car, the lift tickets, food, it would have been pretty expensive. And, we're trying to save up as much money as possible in preparation for the move this summer. I hated to do it, but it was the 'responsible' thing to do. "Responsible," is no fun at all.

On the other hand, I am now able to attend my second nephew's 1 year birthday! It'll be fun to go back home for a weekend and relax with friends and family. I haven't been home since Christmas, and if I don't go home now I think it will be quite a while before I'd be able to head back. I am traveling a lot in March and at least once in April, probably more. In May the wife and I are going abroad for a couple of weeks, and then in June it's already summer and we'll be hard-pressed for time dealing with the move. So, in short I get to go home and see my nephews and the rest of the family. Woo hoo!

Next random topic....the UT/Memphis game is this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. This is the highest either team has ever been ranked, so the #1 Tigers host the #2 Vols showdown is going to be a doozy. I got a note from a friend that humorously pointed out the Men's basketball team is actually ranked higher than the Women's basketball team. Neither of us could remember the last time that happened, and also for the first time I can remember, I believe the men's team could take the women's team in a one-on-one match up. Go Vols.

Well, that's all I got.

So Random I Don't Even Know What to Name This One

Wow. Here it is Saturday morning and I'm up at 4:30 because I couldn't sleep. Don't ask me, I have no idea why I couldn't sleep later. Possibly because I knew I had to wake up at 5:30 anyway because we have an off-site meeting today for work. I'm thrilled. The thing doesn't start until nine so I'm just killing time, brushing up on some stuff for the meeting, and now I'm posting.

It's been a little warmer the last couple of days...sort of. This morning's niceness is reminding me of all the yard work I need to do before selling our house. I'm getting restless to get it all done.

I was also pleased to see that a Beagle won the dog show! Lucy, our Beagle, is very proud of her championship-caliber, long-lost cousin.

A and I are trying to finalize our plans for the ski trip. They keep getting changed because travel dates with work keep changing. Now this trip that was going to be free is now going to cost me a plane ticket for about 300 bucks plus 25K frequent flyer miles. Before, it was going to be 25K flyer miles and a work-paid plane trip for me. The work week I can't go to now, so I have to take a Monday off and ski Saturday and Sunday as opposed to working all week and staying the weekend over. Either way, I'm excited and by golly I'm determined to go come hell or high water. I haven't spent the last month getting in shape for this trip for nothing. Which by the way, has resulted in me losing about 6 pounds so far. I feel a lot better.

It's amazing what happens when you go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, you throw in at least one bike ride, then you mix that up with not going out to eat for lunch. Hell, I've saved money and I've gotten healthier. If I spend, let's say 10 bucks a day on lunch, that's fifty a week for a total of $200 a month. To think I've thrown away thousands over the last five years.....

To completely reverse the health topic - after our little soiree today I need to stop by the homebrew shop and pick up some priming sugar. It's time to bottle my stout! In two more weeks it will be time to enjoy the "fruits" of my labor. I'm getting a hankerin' for brewing another batch too. I just enjoy seeing how good I can get a batch. Given this health kick I'm on, it adds a new element of fun when you can give it away and people actually enjoy it.

Well, it's damn near 8, and the party starts at 9, so I need to get off the computer and head that way.

Til' next time...

Still Kickin'

You know, you're getting too damn old to be going out all the time when you would really, really, rather be at home as opposed to eating Mexican and drinking margaritas in mid-town. We say that stuff all the time, "yeah I'd rather be watching the game," but when it comes down to it what do we do? We go eat Mexican. The difference now is that yesterday it was preceded by a three hour nap, a day of work (well, sort of, it was a flight back), and lots of complaining that I was groggy from the nap.

At any rate, I ended up having a good time, despite the fact I spent $50 on rather mundane Mexican food. We ate at a place called Cafe Ole. The food there is decent, as are the margaritas. What makes this place is the great atmosphere. By the way, the service is pretty poor, so if you go - and yes, it's worth it - don't plan on making it a quick trip.

The same thing happened last weekend. I went out, having complained first of course. This time it was so bad we ended up spending the night on our friend's couch. We're definitely too old to be doing that kind of stuff. The really sad thing about it all is that we were just too tired to make the drive home, and since we are old we've matured to the point of absolutely not risking the drive even after a couple of drinks. Needless to say though, I'd had a few more than a couple. Despite Sunday being an all-day Netflix/HBO movie marathon - one of those in which we built a fire, huddled under blankets and snoozed with the beagle - I had an absolutely great time. I was surprised. I don't normally enjoy those nights any more, but you know what, I'm still kickin' so every once in a while ol' Dave will party.

Ok Ok, I'm old, I live in Suburbia...new subject. I'm getting pretty excited about an upcoming work trip I've got out to Denver. Since I haven't been posting as regularly lately (Ok, the last year or so), you couldn't have known A and I are planning on moving out there sometime this summer once she wraps up her master's program. She plans on getting her Phd out there...which means I'll have a sugar mama! Yesssss, dreams do come true. Not to mention the first time I was in Denver I had this overwhelming sense that was where I was meant to be. It was weird, but hey, everybody has a place. At any rate, I'm excited not about the work trip, but because our friends out there have graciously invited us to stay with them to ski over the weekends. I'm going out the weekend before to catch a day at Mary Jane or Winter Park, and working the following week until A comes out the weekend after for a probable trip to Steamboat. We plan on skiing two more days, I'll take Monday off, and we'll head back home. I'll be sure to post pictures for all of my one random reader a month to look at.

So that's about it. A painted our master bathroom as we are trying to fix up the house to move. One step at a time. I still have to finish the dadgone guest bathroom. I brewed a batch of stout last weekend and plan on drinking it up soon! Dave is still kickin'.

'Til next time....