late-afternoon observations

I blog, and I use that term loosely, about beer a lot.

Well, not really about beer. Not a thoughtful review on how blue my mountain was or the suggestion by the Hooper's waitress Monday night to avoid the beer that tasted like a "hoppy Budweiser" and have their other seasonal which was quite tasty though I can't remember the name.

Not even commentary on how really PBR is quite acceptable. Particularly for $1.25.

Nor how I used to not dig the lemon in a Boulevard Wheat, because I've never liked to adulterate my beer with weird stuff like fruit. But it's really good that way and more importantly, everyone else does it.

Mostly I just make random statements on how I wish I had a beer.

No wonder I can't shake a couple pounds to get back to my fighting weight.

Bracketology and why Canada is nicer than the US

Somehow I have soared to third place in our office pool. If KU takes care of business with Davidson and the 'Horns knock off Memphis, I should be sitting pretty. Funny, because I was in a race for the bottom before the Sweet 16 games started.

I also did a bracket for the women's tournament and put myself in the "Fans of Colorado" and the ESPN women's basketball commentators groups. I'm holding my own with the commentators but I'm not even on the first page with the CU fans. Women's tournament has fewer upsets though, so you're pretty safe going with the seeds. No Davidson to trash your bracket here.

Finally, last night I watched my last DVRed episode of "Bathroom Divas." This Canadian show searched the country for six people to send to an opera 'boot camp' where they received intense training for several weeks. Each week, one was voted off. The winner performed with the Vancouver Symphony ( I think the first season winner got the Toronto Symphony).

I just happened across this little gem one night and sought out the series to record. So far, there have been two seasons. Granted, you might have to be more than a little interested in opera to really enjoy the show. I found a couple other blog entries about it. One compared it to "American Idol" but without the mean-spiritedness. I don't know because I've never watched Idol. But I'm sure it's true. It is also a lot smarter than anything on American TV. Of course, it showed on the Bravo channel in Canada and on Ovation here, which are not exactly for the lowest common denominator.

gray early spring day but silver bullets in plastic bottles

well.

My planned evening at the roller derby did not happen so I was temporarily adrift. I jacked around and did nothing until I went to the gym after noon, since I decided I was too big a pussy to ride in the cold wind. Even though other people are doing it. Tomorrow.

However, I saw that "Body of War" was showing at the Tivoli, weekends only. I was happy because I thought I'd missed it when it opened here. Great movie. Documentary by a KC man who enlisted after 9-11 and ended up in Iraq, where he was shot and paralyzed from the chest down. Much about penile dysfunctions, which elicited many gasps from the men in the audience. Among other things that will stick with me, he said when you see someone in a wheelchair, you think 'there's a guy in a wheelchair' and you don't think about what is going on inside. Like all the stuff inside that just doesn't work any more. Like you can't cough because your stomach muscles don't function well enough. It was interspersed with alot of idiocy from W and also a roll call of the Senate vote to authorize war, or whatever the hell they authorized.

I was pleased to see that 7-11 had CL in 16 oz. bottles. I don't think I've ever seen those in a store before. That means I can toss in the recycling bin which gets picked up and not the one I have to lug somewhere. Though I really have to wonder if any of it really gets recycled.

Fighting the last war

I will offer a short break from my usual inane comments concerning my workouts, meals and DUI field tests. There is a saying that generals are always fighting the last war. I'm sure my many readers are smart enough to figure out what that means.

However, I use it as a metaphor for relationships. It seems I often end up fighting the last war. Whatever deficiencies the previous partner had, I find them in abundance in the next one. Or I go looking for it. So am I destined to bounce back and forth between complete polar opposites? Remain celibate until 50?

OK, enough of that deep thought. Makes my pretty little head hurt.

It's Spring.

My bizarre upper-abdominal Naproxen-induced pain has mostly ceased.

I'm going to get my mountain bike tuned up, in case we have 7 days without rain.

I made salmon for the first time ever. And it was edible. This makes me happy.

new year's adam

Well 2007 is nearly over and it has been a good year.

I thought I might make chili today and watch my Buffs, who seem determined to embarrass themselves tonight in the Independence Bowl. But I went over to help E with her speaker situation. We made some progress, getting surround sound working through the receiver, TV and DVD downstairs AND getting receiver and TV in half the upstairs. A visio would have been helpful, though nothing was labeled. She showed her appreciation by buying brunch at Bell St. Mama's, where I had a #32 omelet that caused me to burp onions for several hours.

Finally finished ripping all the CD's in the jukebox. And I'm embarassed to say that I just yesterday realized that iTunes could do a big fat random shuffle of everything. I'm thinking about spending a little and going iPod in the living room. A big iPod classic and run it through the receiver. I'm about to fill up the 300 jukebox, though frankly, some of it is just crap that needs to be removed: Gretchen Wilson... I'm not responsible for that. CD's are just so 1990-something.

And, another embarrassing confession especially for a big-time IT geek, I've gone IE free on the laptop. Well, I'm not using it. Except to check work OWA. And I sure wish I could get complete remote access to work on Vista.

I may be one of about four people in the office tomorrow. Great day to clean the desk and have a McRib.

surya namaskar x one-oh-eight

This evening I will be celebrating the winter solstice (a few days early) with 108 Sun Salutations, a short meditation and a potluck. The yoga world is big on 108 sun salutations, especially on New Year's Day, but also on the solstices and maybe the equinoxes. My yoga studio has an annual celebration. But before anyone is too impressed by thinking of me doing 108 chaturanga dandasanas ... we modify this quite a bit ... Six sets of six lifting the arms and down to namaste, six forward bends and six full vinyasas. So really it's only 36 chaturangas.

Which might be challenging enough since I swam 1700 and lifted yesterday.

I would like to find someplace that does the full 108 sometime. Not sure I could really keep count by myself. I wonder how that would feel long about 50, let alone 80. Wonder how long it would take.

At any rate, 108 is a special number in Buddhism and Hinduism. The mala, or prayer beads, has 108 beads. There are some other references to 108 as well - http://www.lovearth.net/108.htm.

Watched the Cyclocross Championships today. Very cool. Very muddy. Very snowy. I think I might be too big a baby to do cyclocross. I like getting dirty but there is a lot of injury potential there flying around muddy corners with 40, 50 or 60 others.

Discovered that I should own long underwear and waterproof boots.

icy cold Saturday ...

- I wish we'd just get snow instead of freezing rain or drizzle. I don't understand how it can be 22 degrees and any kind of 'rain' happening. I guess we have a big moisture flow from the Gulf, so it's too warm up high or down low or something. At any rate, I'm really hoping the power doesn't go out. It's an inconvenience in the summer, but really sucky in the winter.

- Tried 'Power Yoga' for the second time last night and it was much better. I think the class was easier but I felt better as well. Sadly, it's moving to 4:30 pm in January and I'm pretty sure that won't work. The instructor, who sorta looks like a taller buffer Lucy Liu, teaches at other studios as well so maybe I can continue.

- Went out last night to Marty's Blues Cafe in lovely Merriam. A local band was playing and one of the women who played Janis Joplin at the KC Rep earlier this year was with them. She was awesome. Not sure if she was the Janis I saw, but nonetheless a good show. And they had some good Steak and Bean Chili ...mmmm.

- And driving home I got to meet Officer Friendly from the Mission PD ( I guess ) who pulled me over for going 5 or 10 miles above the speed limit on Johnson Drive. So really, what right do they have to ask where you've been. Obviously he's out looking for drunks.

OF: So where have you been?
Me: We've been out listening to some music (true).
OF: Did you have anything to drink?
Me (heart thumping away big time): I had a couple beers (so what's a couple really ... two three four?).

So he goes back to run my license or whatever they do back there. Meanwhile, my friend reminds me that I did have just three beers and we'd been there over three hours, so it was not likely that I was impaired in any way. After a couple minutes or six hours, OF comes back and asks me to step out of the car. We go behind my car, and it's a little damn cold outside, OF points to a spot on the ground for me to stand and says that due to me saying that I had a couple drinks and the fact that he could smell alcohol (don't know how over all that effin' smoke), he was going to give me a field sobriety test and was that OK?

Me ( thinking I had read that you should never take one but not knowing what the hell that would mean): Sure.
OF: I am going to have you follow the light on my pen with your eyes, without moving your head. Do you understand?
Me: Yes.
OF: Do you wear contacts?
Me: Yes.
OF: Hard or soft?
Me: Soft.
OF: Well if you need to blink, you just let me know.

So he moves this pen thing around. I follow it. Finally, I did have to blink and told him so. He moved it from side to side and then up and down. Then he says to go have a seat in the car.

After another few minutes or hours, OF comes back with my license and insurance card and said he was giving me a verbal warning and he saw no signs of impairment so he stopped the test and buckle up and drive home safely.

Whew.

I knew I wasn't hardly buzzed, let alone drunk. My god, I've driven home in far worse shape sad to say, but I sure was happy to not even get a speeding ticket. And thank goodness for the less than attentive service or I might have had another beer or two.