True, I didn't "have" to...

But fuck it, I did anyway.

No, I didn't need to spend my lunch walking to the closest grocery store that had more moonshine.  But I didn't have to come in at all today either, and I sure as shit didn't have to sit through some asinine webinar that our new Dean sent out this morning.  But I did anyway, and now there's moonshine on my desk waiting to be taken home and enjoyed.

Current beer-scale: a Friday high 7.1 w/ND on some random CBS channel that apparently I don't get.  Fan-fucking-tastic.

Confession time

Growing up really poor had a lot of different impacts on me.  For one, I'm a lot more materialistic than I'd like to be, but that's how not having much seems to have manifested itself in me as I grow older.  Balance that with my inner-Scrooge's penny-pinching ways and it's not always a recipe for success.  But as much as I don't want my kid to grow up feeling like that (jeez, it never fails to hit me, cripes, I'm a father, don't screw it up), one thing I would like to impart on him is getting the most bang for your buck when you're out shopping.

That's a stupidly long-winded way to introduce the idea that one thing I have a hard time ignoring is the appeal of a new watch.  I have a few different ones, each one from a different occasion and they're all in a kind of rotation.  Quiksilver and Invicta show up a lot, and even though it makes me look like a hipster doofus I do occasionally wear the pocket watch my mother-in-law gave me.  Anyway, I added one to the collection this week, much to the dismay of my wife.

Original listing pic. That dude had a tiny wrist.

Ebay is the devil.  If I'm looking for a watch and can find it for less than a third of the amazon price, more than likely I will by it.  And that was the case with this pro diver.

Classic "Goldfinger" shot

Very similar to a rolex submariner, hence the appeal.  Also very similar to the "Bond" watch from Goldfinger.  I'll admit I'm not going to drop $3K on a watch, but if I can get one of similar visual fashion for $50 then I'm all over it.

So when lunch-time Friday rolled around and I was already heading out, I figured I might as well stop by the Fossil in water tower to see if I could find a replacement band.  I know watch purists might say it needs to be the black-red-green of the movie to be a real Bond watch, but I was happy to find a plain black and grey option instead.  Popped the old band off, slid the new band on, and presto, instant new addition to the rotation.

done on a budget

Honestly, this might be the end of the collection for a while.  And the wife would be thrilled with that.  But this one's automatic so it won't need a battery, the band will work both at the office and on the weekends, and it's easy to replace if needed.  Win-win-win, even if it isn't an exact match to 007's.

Current beer-scale: 6.7

when did it get so nice today?

Last night I was on the fence about the bike today. My ass was sore after three weeks recuperating, the tank is tough to get moving in any kind of wind, and the forecast called for rain and black ice all over the place this morning.

So where in the hell did this come from?I'm not complaining. It's 40 degrees, and I'm about to call it a day and go watch ND play in a bowl game with the last of my beery holiday leftovers. Now that's how you wrap up a year.

Current beer-scale: 7.7

Ah Sunday

The wife and I have been saying we're going to take a ride for weeks now. Weekends have been pretty busy since we've moved and we kept putting it off for whatever reason. We could have gone car shopping today, but instead after taking the dog on her long morning walk we hit the road on our bikes. It was a fabulous idea. We just went in what we had on, I didn't even bother to clip in. I did bring my bag, but I bring my bag everywhere and I've learned that lesson already. Easy or not, I wasn't going without at least an extra tube and the usual tools.

I worry a bit sometimes riding in the road with other people, that gets magnified ten-fold with the wife. But other than some other cyclists who didn't realize they had to share the road/path things went fine.

Smooth sailing, especially w/everyone else at the beach for the A&W show.

I don't know if it was the zen approach or just being on a bike without having to go to work but that was one of the more enjoyable rides I've had in a while. Even though I couldn't get the camera to focus for the life of me.Which was too bad, b/c there is some weird shit up there. We'll definitely do it again soon though b/c we had a blast. I shouldn't be surprised we had fun--bikes are fun. Commuting is fine, but it doesn't hold a candle to being able to relax outside on a gorgeous day with the wife.

Ultimately we packed it in a little earlier than expected and headed home. Eventually we'll head up to the Botanic Gardens. Then we'll see just how enjoyable the ride really is.

Current beer-scale: 3.1

After the way yesterday started I was tempted to take a shorter ride home to just put it out of its misery. But as I left I realized I didn't want a lousy morning to push me around all day and said screw it, I'm going how I always go. Everything passed without incident, and I proceeded to have an enjoyable evening wherein I ate and drank too much, had heartburn at about 3 AM, and spent today exhausted.

Consequently I absolutely took the short way home after a long day in the office trying to focus enough not to spill coffee all over myself. It's a mile shorter and saved me a couple of minutes, mostly by eliminating one left turn and being easier to time street-light-wise. The snow that started to fall before I left was also a decent motivator, although the stretch on Division was terrifying from State to Clybourn.

So now it's time for beer, and a brief prayer that tonite's meal doesn't leave me reaching for the tums in the middle of the night later.


Current beer-scale: 7.8