I think I'm finally recovered from last Saturday and as I type this, we're on Thursday. I woke up at 6:30 am and spent three hours working on my 5 page paper for grad school. I wrote about the contingency theory of leadership and how it applies in a global setting. I'm sure that makes for thrilling dinner conversation. I included topics such as the expansion of the Willow Creek Church Global Leadership Summit and the international growth of the National Football League. Don't know my grade yet, but I hope it turns out well.
I left around 11:30 for the gym and ran 5 miles in around 39:30. My speed is picking up. But I still haven't ran outside yet. Sorry, but I have no plans to start running outside until we hit 50 degrees. I hung in the sauna for maybe 20 minutes and headed home. I made a new shake with peanut butter, banana, and kale. It could have fooled me, I could hardly taste anything in that drink except the kale. I know it's super healthy, but my goodness, kale is not one of the best tasting foods I've ever had.
I took off around 2 pm and drove 45 minutes to Cumberland. I took the blue line to Clark/Lake and transferred over to the brown line. Little did I know what an adventure that would be. I only had to go four stops north to Armitage. Unfortunately, the tracks were being worked on so I wound up waiting 16 minutes in 35 degree weather. I found myself staring at the monitor, just waiting for that countdown to say "Train Due." Finally it came. I noticed we were moving very slowly, maybe a couple of miles per hour. After we reached the third station, the train suddenly stopped. The conductor said we had to go back south so another train could pass. That only held us up a couple of minutes, but I started thinking I should have just walked from Clark/Lake to Armitage!
But we got to Armitage and I went to Burger and the Butcher, voted the manliest burger place in the country by Maxim magazine. I was intrigued because they have eight burger options (Grass fed beef, pork, turkey, shrimp, salmon, etc.) as well as nine house made spice rubs (Chicago steak, coconut-curry, Sonora desert chili, cajun, etc). I ordered a grass fed burger with fries and a Mexican Coke. Gotta love any place that serves Coke with real sugar in it. The Kennebec fries were fresh cut and very thick. They tasted crispy and tender, just as fried should be. Since I'm not a ketchup fan, I would have liked a few more sauce options. I also god one of their homemade garlic dill pickles. Little did I expect to get a carving board four huge spears. They were a little sour, but incredibly crisp and flavorful. The taste of the burger was quite good. One problem: I asked for it to be cooked medium and the inside was definitely not cooked through. For $20, that was pretty disappointing.
From there, I walked around 1.5 miles to the Squared Circle. I ordered a 5 Rabbit beer and waited to take the party bus from downtown to Chicago Ridge, where Ring of Honor was running that night. I also met Nick and Matt Jackson, the Young Bucks, who were riding the bus with us before fighting Red Dragon for the ROH tag team titles. The 20 or so of us on the bus all got special t-shorts for the occasion. On the 45 minute ride, we watched Night of Hoopla, one of the craziest but most fun ROH shows ever.
At the autograph signing before the show, I met Chris Hero as well as Red Dragon, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish. I got autographed pictures and took pictures with them, which was very cool. The show itself was very good. The Bucks won the tag team titles in what was definitely the best match of the night. I did not expect them to win, so it was a cool surprise. Kevin Steen vs Cedric Alexander was a really good match too. Adam Cole vs. Chris Hero for the world title was good, but it never hit that extra gear that I think we all wanted it to hit.
The show ended at 11. We waited rather impatiently for the bus to pick us up and take us back downtown. Unfortunately, the driver thought the show was ending at midnight. So he came back 45 minutes late. We picked up some PBR for the bus and I drank my first one on the ride back. It wasn't horrible, but I don't think I would buy one for myself. I met up with Q, Mangold, and Jerome at the Squared Circle and I settled in. I hadn't eaten since the burger, so despite it being 12:30 am, I ordered a slobberknocker pizza which has fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and JR's hot BBQ sauce. And maybe a couple of carbs to boot. It was awesome!
Q drove me the Logan Square station and I took the subway 30 minutes back to Cumberland. After 45 more minutes of driving, I settled in bed at 3 am. Except that it wasn't really 3 a.m. Since DST was taking effect that night, I really wasn't asleep until 4 a.m. Somehow I slept till 10 a.m. and I'm glad I had the option to go to church at 11:15 on Sunday morning.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Self-centered people
Before I get
into some serious business, I do want to write something positive. I’m looking
forward to Crosstown wings tomorrow night for the Rangers vs. Blackhawks game
and I’m glad I’ll be able to watch the game with a friend. I’m thinking I will have
some peanut butter and jelly wings as well as some chile lime dry rubbed wings.
I also ran an indoor 5k yesterday in 24:30. I am one month away from the 8k/5 mile
run downtown and I’m not sure my endurance is where I want it, but I am pushing
myself every time I run. Each time, I get a little faster and a little
stronger. But when the outdoor elements come into play, the circumstances can
be altered dramatically. I hope I will be able to handle it. OK, onto the business at hand.
There are
certain types of people I have seen who are draining to people they come in
contact with. They are purely self-centered despite their different moods and
attitudes. One group of people that I can’t understand is the attention whores. These
are the people who send out 20 tweets a day, the ones who post on FB every
single hour, text every couple of hours just to see how you are doing, and are
always the first one to respond to a post from their FB friend. It’s just
draining. They feel so little about themselves and are so miserable that they
need to be noticed by someone to gain that temporary fix of relief. They know
with perfect clarity that others can detect it like a K-9 sensing a dead body. And they don’t care that it is the wrong kind
of attention. They can have the best intentions in the world, but they push and
push to get closer and the rest of us just want to get away from them.
Another group
that demonstrates self-righteous are those who feel they have they can accurately judge a
person’s character based over one sentence, over one message, or over one
picture. Sometimes, I wonder about writing here. The writer never knows who reads
the words or how they are being perceived. But I can feel confident that if
they have read a lot of my posts, they can have a reasonable idea of who I am,
even if they haven’t met me. When it comes to social media, it’s so much more
difficult. One tweet does not define a person’s character. Nor does one
meeting. It is far wiser to meet someone, decide if they are worth getting to
know, and then keeping an open mind as they get to know each other better. I
don’t know how often Mother Theresa got mad, but if I happened to run into her in
a moment where she was upset for some reason, does that mean I can assume she is
always an angry person?
Oh and there’s
another group I want to point out and this one is just pitiful. Those people
who just seek a reaction. These are the people whose lives are so boring and so
bland and so without any purpose or direction that they live to provoke people,
hoping they will trigger some sort of emotional reaction. Specifically, it is
reflected in actions like a New York Yankees fan suddenly becoming a Seattle Mariners
fan. It is manifested in them repeatedly voting for Felix Hernandez in the Face
of MLB twitter contest. And for what reason? Just because he’s going against
David Wright of the New York Mets and they have that much hatred for the Mets
and their fans. And because these people don’t have anything more worthy to do
with their ample amount of free time.
My goal is
not to punish them, but to simply live with happiness and contentment in spite of
them. Hopefully, they can learn to do the same.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Naperville Winter Ale Festival
Somehow, I became an elite member of the Yelp website. I have no idea how this happened. Maybe I have reviewed enough places or maybe my reviews are well though of. I don't know why, but I've had elite status for two years now.
So, I got an e-mail that elite members were eligible for pairs of tickets to the Naperville Winter Ale Festival, the first ever outdoor winter beer festival in Naperville.Yelp was giving away ten pairs of tickets and I won one of them. I asked a friend of mine to go and although he wanted to join, he just wasn't sure he could make it work with his schedule. Basically, after I pressed him twice, he finally said he couldn't make it. So I was stuck with an extra ticket.
I drove 40 minutes south on Route 59 to south Naperville. I parked at Neuqua Valley High School and walked over to Frontier Park. I found a guy who took my extra ticket, I suppose he was in his 50's. So I saved him 45 bucks or so. What I should have done was find a cute girl. But I'm sure any cute ones would be with a boyfriend or husband.
Anyway, I arrived to 31 degree weather and showed my passport (since I don't have a driver's license thanks to the lovely cops of Hoffman Estates, IL). It's a good thing I remembered to put the passport in my car or I wasn't getting in! An old dude tied a wristband on me and then I picked up a 3-ounce glass, a card for 15 free samples, and a booklet highlighting all the breweries.
There were four beer tents, all not too far from each other. I decided to walk to Tent 4 first, since that was the farthest and I also figured that would be the emptiest. Then I worked my way back down to 3, then, 2, then 1. Each tent had small heaters, which was nice, as well as water jugs with a big white bucket next to each one. I quickly figured out the thing to do was rinse the glass with the water and dump the liquid into the bucket. I would not be surprised if 90 percent of that water was using for rinsing instead of hydrating!
I also visited the Toasty Cheese food truck, where I had the Chicago Chef's choice, which was panini bread filled with six slices of duck bacon, arugula, spinach, cherry tomatoes, provolone cheese, and aioli. it wasn't cheap, maybe 12 bucks or so, but it was a very good sandwich. And after about 12 beers, I was definitely in the mood for some fries and I got an order of their fresh-cut fries topped with rosemary and some garlic. They definitely help after consuming that much alcohol. I grabbed a vanilla bean cupcake from another food truck and I also bought a int glass before stumbling back to my car. Once there, I rested for maybe two hours before driving over to the Wolves hockey game in Rosemont.
Here's the recap of the beers I drank and remember, it was only 3 ounces each.
1. Take the Black Stout-Belgian Dark Ale-Brewery Ommegagng, Cooperstown, NY
Dark and creamy, with a hint of malt and chocolate. It reminded me more of a stout than an ale. It was ok if you like that kind of beer, but it isn't my preference.
2. Roundhouse Ale-American Amber-Bell's-Kalamazoo, MI
Amber in color, with a little hint of citrus and some caramel. Very smooth, I enjoyed this one.
3. Rocky's Revenge Bourbon Brown-American Brown Ale-Tyranena-Lake Mills, WI
A solid brown, with hints of bourbon and oak. A little thick. Pretty solid.
4. Mama's Little Yella Pils-Czech Pilsner-Oskar Blues-Longmont, CO
Golden color, very refreshing. Hints of lemon and a clean finish. Definitely liked this!
5. Le Merle-Farmhouse Ale-North Coast-Fort Bragg, CA
I've been a fan of North Coast ever since I tried their Scrimshaw. This only made me a bigger fan. Bright golden color, thin head, a bit of lemon and spice. Good choice.
6. Curieux-Bourbon Barrel Triple Aged-Allagash-Portland, ME
I met Melissa at this booth, a cute girl from Pittsburgh, who noticed my Rangers jersey. We had a nice little hockey talk. The up front taste had bits of vanilla, banana, coriander, it was a little tough to pick up. But with the aftertaste, I got that nice earthy bourbon flavor. It's more of a sophisticated that I could drink on a special occasion.
7. Graetzer Smoked Wheat-Smoked-Sixpoint-Brooklyn, NY
If I thought the bourbon was unique, this knocked me out even more. Yellow color, and it tasted like earth woods. I don't know if this style is going to catch on.
8. Cold Snap-Witbier-Sam Adams-Boston, MA
Yes, it's hard for me to praise Boston. But this one makes it easy. With its orange and coriander, this would be a fine choice just as the weather is hitting 40 or 50 degrees. I definitely prefer it to their Boston Lager.
9. Session Brett Ale-American Wild Ale-Lake Effect Brewing-Chicago, IL
Lots of raspberries. Not much else to say. Not one of my favorites.
10. Stick to the Nuts-Nut Brown w/ peanut butter-Slap Shot-Chicago, IL
The flavor of peanut butter in beer! It's a beer that's fun to try once. Maybe it would go well with desserts.
11. Snapshot Wheat-American Pale Wheat Ale-New Belgium-Fort Collins, CO
Some citrus and grapes. Kind of a tart finish. Pretty good, but I've had better wheats than this.
12. Pilsener-Czech Pilsener-Baderbrau-Chicago, IL
Amber color, malty flavor. Pretty good, though I think I preferred the first pilsener.
13. Winter Warmer-Ale-Emmett's-Downers Grove, IL
This was my last one before lunch, so I was pretty beat. Very dark in color, but not overly bitter. Pretty good, nothing memorable.
14. Ten Hills-American Pale Ale-Goose Island-Chicago, IL
I don't know, I've just never gotten into the whole Goose Island craze. This was one of the hoppiest beers I've drank. Not too special.
15. Wintertime-Winter Warmer-North Coast-Ft. Bragg, CA
Nutty with some nutmeg. Enjoyable.
16. Ironhorse-Steam-Argus, Chicago, IL
Medium-bodied with a copper flavor. Again, not overly memorable.
17. Crisp Apple-Hard Cider-Angry Orchard-Cincinnati, OH
Slightly sweet, very drinkable cider. I've had it once before and it was a nice flavor change from all the other beers.
18. Percheron-Hard Cider-Virtue Cider-Portland, OR
I had to settle for this one; the bourbon barrel cider with the vanilla and oak was gone. This one had a stronger taste, but not much more than the Angry Orchard. More of a deep apple flavor.
So, I got an e-mail that elite members were eligible for pairs of tickets to the Naperville Winter Ale Festival, the first ever outdoor winter beer festival in Naperville.Yelp was giving away ten pairs of tickets and I won one of them. I asked a friend of mine to go and although he wanted to join, he just wasn't sure he could make it work with his schedule. Basically, after I pressed him twice, he finally said he couldn't make it. So I was stuck with an extra ticket.
I drove 40 minutes south on Route 59 to south Naperville. I parked at Neuqua Valley High School and walked over to Frontier Park. I found a guy who took my extra ticket, I suppose he was in his 50's. So I saved him 45 bucks or so. What I should have done was find a cute girl. But I'm sure any cute ones would be with a boyfriend or husband.
Anyway, I arrived to 31 degree weather and showed my passport (since I don't have a driver's license thanks to the lovely cops of Hoffman Estates, IL). It's a good thing I remembered to put the passport in my car or I wasn't getting in! An old dude tied a wristband on me and then I picked up a 3-ounce glass, a card for 15 free samples, and a booklet highlighting all the breweries.
There were four beer tents, all not too far from each other. I decided to walk to Tent 4 first, since that was the farthest and I also figured that would be the emptiest. Then I worked my way back down to 3, then, 2, then 1. Each tent had small heaters, which was nice, as well as water jugs with a big white bucket next to each one. I quickly figured out the thing to do was rinse the glass with the water and dump the liquid into the bucket. I would not be surprised if 90 percent of that water was using for rinsing instead of hydrating!
I also visited the Toasty Cheese food truck, where I had the Chicago Chef's choice, which was panini bread filled with six slices of duck bacon, arugula, spinach, cherry tomatoes, provolone cheese, and aioli. it wasn't cheap, maybe 12 bucks or so, but it was a very good sandwich. And after about 12 beers, I was definitely in the mood for some fries and I got an order of their fresh-cut fries topped with rosemary and some garlic. They definitely help after consuming that much alcohol. I grabbed a vanilla bean cupcake from another food truck and I also bought a int glass before stumbling back to my car. Once there, I rested for maybe two hours before driving over to the Wolves hockey game in Rosemont.
Here's the recap of the beers I drank and remember, it was only 3 ounces each.
1. Take the Black Stout-Belgian Dark Ale-Brewery Ommegagng, Cooperstown, NY
Dark and creamy, with a hint of malt and chocolate. It reminded me more of a stout than an ale. It was ok if you like that kind of beer, but it isn't my preference.
2. Roundhouse Ale-American Amber-Bell's-Kalamazoo, MI
Amber in color, with a little hint of citrus and some caramel. Very smooth, I enjoyed this one.
3. Rocky's Revenge Bourbon Brown-American Brown Ale-Tyranena-Lake Mills, WI
A solid brown, with hints of bourbon and oak. A little thick. Pretty solid.
4. Mama's Little Yella Pils-Czech Pilsner-Oskar Blues-Longmont, CO
Golden color, very refreshing. Hints of lemon and a clean finish. Definitely liked this!
5. Le Merle-Farmhouse Ale-North Coast-Fort Bragg, CA
I've been a fan of North Coast ever since I tried their Scrimshaw. This only made me a bigger fan. Bright golden color, thin head, a bit of lemon and spice. Good choice.
6. Curieux-Bourbon Barrel Triple Aged-Allagash-Portland, ME
I met Melissa at this booth, a cute girl from Pittsburgh, who noticed my Rangers jersey. We had a nice little hockey talk. The up front taste had bits of vanilla, banana, coriander, it was a little tough to pick up. But with the aftertaste, I got that nice earthy bourbon flavor. It's more of a sophisticated that I could drink on a special occasion.
7. Graetzer Smoked Wheat-Smoked-Sixpoint-Brooklyn, NY
If I thought the bourbon was unique, this knocked me out even more. Yellow color, and it tasted like earth woods. I don't know if this style is going to catch on.
8. Cold Snap-Witbier-Sam Adams-Boston, MA
Yes, it's hard for me to praise Boston. But this one makes it easy. With its orange and coriander, this would be a fine choice just as the weather is hitting 40 or 50 degrees. I definitely prefer it to their Boston Lager.
9. Session Brett Ale-American Wild Ale-Lake Effect Brewing-Chicago, IL
Lots of raspberries. Not much else to say. Not one of my favorites.
10. Stick to the Nuts-Nut Brown w/ peanut butter-Slap Shot-Chicago, IL
The flavor of peanut butter in beer! It's a beer that's fun to try once. Maybe it would go well with desserts.
11. Snapshot Wheat-American Pale Wheat Ale-New Belgium-Fort Collins, CO
Some citrus and grapes. Kind of a tart finish. Pretty good, but I've had better wheats than this.
12. Pilsener-Czech Pilsener-Baderbrau-Chicago, IL
Amber color, malty flavor. Pretty good, though I think I preferred the first pilsener.
13. Winter Warmer-Ale-Emmett's-Downers Grove, IL
This was my last one before lunch, so I was pretty beat. Very dark in color, but not overly bitter. Pretty good, nothing memorable.
14. Ten Hills-American Pale Ale-Goose Island-Chicago, IL
I don't know, I've just never gotten into the whole Goose Island craze. This was one of the hoppiest beers I've drank. Not too special.
15. Wintertime-Winter Warmer-North Coast-Ft. Bragg, CA
Nutty with some nutmeg. Enjoyable.
16. Ironhorse-Steam-Argus, Chicago, IL
Medium-bodied with a copper flavor. Again, not overly memorable.
17. Crisp Apple-Hard Cider-Angry Orchard-Cincinnati, OH
Slightly sweet, very drinkable cider. I've had it once before and it was a nice flavor change from all the other beers.
18. Percheron-Hard Cider-Virtue Cider-Portland, OR
I had to settle for this one; the bourbon barrel cider with the vanilla and oak was gone. This one had a stronger taste, but not much more than the Angry Orchard. More of a deep apple flavor.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Human nature
I've been thinking recently about good people vs. bad people. Who defines good and bad? It seems that a lot of people will say that they're a good person because they're not criminals or they've never done this or that. I'm sorry, that's just enough for me. And I can't hold other people to my standards; everyone should live by whatever code they deem appropriate. But here's what I am concluding. Being good should be more than the absence of bad. It should be about actually injecting good into the world.
In the last two or three days, I feel like I've done a lot of both. I have been an encourager, a mercy-giver, and began healing what was a broken friendship.On the other hand, I have become angry, embarrassed, and dealt with hatred from so many people.
The hatred is pretty much all coming from people from the wonderful country of Canada. The way the American women choked away that Olympic gold medal game today was terrible. A 2-0 lead with six minutes and they lose in overtime. I mean, this collapse ranks right up there with the 2012 Ryder Cup. The bottom line is I'm tired of seeing my country lose in hockey to our arch-rival. Now I got mad and I put it on Twitter. Didn't swear, like some would. Didn't call anyone names, like some would. I just expressed my outrage at losing again. OK, I may have mentioned how Canada relies on the US for all its economic support and without us, they'd be screwed. I think I got about 80 or 90 tweets from people I've never met questioning my character. I am not proud of some of the things I wrote in the moment. But for total strangers have the gall to call out my character and my faith and insult me...it flatters me. They would actually take the time and thought to tweet me in anger. It's like they assume I'm always a bad person. And I find myself feeling grateful. I'm grateful that there are people who truly know me and that they like me.
I hold my ground that this was an embarrassing loss for America and that the women's hockey team choked. I hate go to this, but I will. If this was the men who blew this game, would so many people be as easy to shake the loss off? Well, I am not. These women should be held to the same standard, if not a higher standard, as the men. USA and Canada are clearly the two best women's hockey teams in the world. But the USA has lost to Canada four straight times and has not won a gold medal in almost 20 years. When will it end?! Anyway, I'm not still mad about the loss. Hopefully, the men will redeem us tomorrow in the semi-finals. Regardless, I will not tweet about it. I think I will take a break from it for a few days, hopefully all this crap will blow over.
Despite what I said earlier, I have to admit this. I'm worried people I see regularly in social circles don't like me. Or maybe a better way to put it is maybe they don't get me. I don't want the whole world to like me; I am more than content with standing out. I will not cater to what American pop culture tells me is right or wrong.
But I wonder if I'm travelling alone. There is something I'm learning about people. People require perfection. So few people forgive nowadays. They see one sign of bad in someone and they run away. And I'm especially talking about romantic relationships. It's what I have experienced over and over again. I have to be so worried about saying everything just right and doing everything just right. It's like if I make one wrong move or get angry once, I get my butt kicked to the curb. Well, I hope those ladies have a nice group of perfect friends they can cling to. On that note, thanks to KC for breaking off our April date today. There's nothing else that could have caused it except one post on social media about that game. I guess I wasn't "good" enough, was I? This is the kind of heartbreak I have dealt with since high school. I'm 33 now.
I believe in God. I believe in second chances. But more than that, through these successes and failures, these tears and laughter, and these gains and losses, I am learning to believe in myself. I hope this will make it easier for me to inject just a little bit of good into this sorry, dark, broken world.
In the last two or three days, I feel like I've done a lot of both. I have been an encourager, a mercy-giver, and began healing what was a broken friendship.On the other hand, I have become angry, embarrassed, and dealt with hatred from so many people.
The hatred is pretty much all coming from people from the wonderful country of Canada. The way the American women choked away that Olympic gold medal game today was terrible. A 2-0 lead with six minutes and they lose in overtime. I mean, this collapse ranks right up there with the 2012 Ryder Cup. The bottom line is I'm tired of seeing my country lose in hockey to our arch-rival. Now I got mad and I put it on Twitter. Didn't swear, like some would. Didn't call anyone names, like some would. I just expressed my outrage at losing again. OK, I may have mentioned how Canada relies on the US for all its economic support and without us, they'd be screwed. I think I got about 80 or 90 tweets from people I've never met questioning my character. I am not proud of some of the things I wrote in the moment. But for total strangers have the gall to call out my character and my faith and insult me...it flatters me. They would actually take the time and thought to tweet me in anger. It's like they assume I'm always a bad person. And I find myself feeling grateful. I'm grateful that there are people who truly know me and that they like me.
I hold my ground that this was an embarrassing loss for America and that the women's hockey team choked. I hate go to this, but I will. If this was the men who blew this game, would so many people be as easy to shake the loss off? Well, I am not. These women should be held to the same standard, if not a higher standard, as the men. USA and Canada are clearly the two best women's hockey teams in the world. But the USA has lost to Canada four straight times and has not won a gold medal in almost 20 years. When will it end?! Anyway, I'm not still mad about the loss. Hopefully, the men will redeem us tomorrow in the semi-finals. Regardless, I will not tweet about it. I think I will take a break from it for a few days, hopefully all this crap will blow over.
Despite what I said earlier, I have to admit this. I'm worried people I see regularly in social circles don't like me. Or maybe a better way to put it is maybe they don't get me. I don't want the whole world to like me; I am more than content with standing out. I will not cater to what American pop culture tells me is right or wrong.
But I wonder if I'm travelling alone. There is something I'm learning about people. People require perfection. So few people forgive nowadays. They see one sign of bad in someone and they run away. And I'm especially talking about romantic relationships. It's what I have experienced over and over again. I have to be so worried about saying everything just right and doing everything just right. It's like if I make one wrong move or get angry once, I get my butt kicked to the curb. Well, I hope those ladies have a nice group of perfect friends they can cling to. On that note, thanks to KC for breaking off our April date today. There's nothing else that could have caused it except one post on social media about that game. I guess I wasn't "good" enough, was I? This is the kind of heartbreak I have dealt with since high school. I'm 33 now.
My name is Adam. I've never pretended to be perfect. I have a temper at times and I worry about certain things. But I'm real, I'm loyal, I'm honest, I'm fun, and I'm hard-working. I'm a work in progress. I always will be until the Lord calls me home. And if people can't accept me as that, then I don't want anything to do with them.
I believe in God. I believe in second chances. But more than that, through these successes and failures, these tears and laughter, and these gains and losses, I am learning to believe in myself. I hope this will make it easier for me to inject just a little bit of good into this sorry, dark, broken world.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Ch-ch-changes
Last Friday night, I went to lecture for singles from Lina Abujamra. She is a pediatric ER doctor in Chicago and I think she is also women's ministry director at Harvest Bible Chapel. She has written two books, Thrive and Stripped.
She was speaking at compass, a church in Naperville. I got there about a half hour late, since I had another meeting prior to it. I walked into a room of maybe 80-90 singles and she struck me immediately. She;s originally from Lebanon, so she has that middle Easter accent. And she is so demonstrative with her body language and direct with her words. She makes no apologies for her passion for Jesus or for his amazing ability to transform lives.
Even though I had $11 left in my wallet, I decided to buy thrive, which is targeted to Christian singles. As much material and info as there is on marriages and families, it's nice to have a book targeted for us. I've only read four chapters, but her book is as hard-hitting as her lectures. In those early pages, she has addressed topics like contentment, holiness, masturbation, and pornography. So this is clearly not a book that strives to be culturally pleasing. The attitude from Lina is "Here is what I have to say. I hope you'll listen. But it won't be easy. Take the ride with me if you dare and it will be worth it." So far, it is worth it for me.
She was speaking at compass, a church in Naperville. I got there about a half hour late, since I had another meeting prior to it. I walked into a room of maybe 80-90 singles and she struck me immediately. She;s originally from Lebanon, so she has that middle Easter accent. And she is so demonstrative with her body language and direct with her words. She makes no apologies for her passion for Jesus or for his amazing ability to transform lives.
Even though I had $11 left in my wallet, I decided to buy thrive, which is targeted to Christian singles. As much material and info as there is on marriages and families, it's nice to have a book targeted for us. I've only read four chapters, but her book is as hard-hitting as her lectures. In those early pages, she has addressed topics like contentment, holiness, masturbation, and pornography. So this is clearly not a book that strives to be culturally pleasing. The attitude from Lina is "Here is what I have to say. I hope you'll listen. But it won't be easy. Take the ride with me if you dare and it will be worth it." So far, it is worth it for me.
So I've made a few changes in my life lately. I switched my bank from TCF to Chase. It's nice now that I don't have to wait till Saturday to go to a bank to deposit a check. I've upped my running; I'm doing five miles in 41 minutes. I'm actually getting ready for the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, which is an 8k that is being run in downtown Chicago at the end of March. I have never done an 8k before, but I think I'm going to be ready. I'm committed to running five miles twice a week for a month and I'll see how fast I can get. And then two weeks after that, is the Willow Creek 5k!
A few nights ago, I prayed on my knees for the first time in so long. I wasn't desperate, I just really longed to be closer to God. I wanted to surrender more. I wanted to take my faith more seriously. I'm truly feeling more at peace when God is a higher priority and not just something to fit into a busy schedule.
I'm considering getting baptized. Willow Creek is having a baptism service in two weeks. I've thought about it before, but I keep making excuses. Usually, it's that I feel like I'm not good enough or a fear that I'll keep making mistakes. Last Sunday, there was a meeting after the 11:15 service for those who were interested. I walked down two levels from the balcony to get to the meeting, only to see the meeting was already in progress. I realized I would have had to walk in front of everyone and I knew I was going to feel embarrassed. I'm not saying it was right for me to feel that way, but that's what was inside me at that moment. There is one more meeting next weekend. Hopefully, I can still have it done even if I missed the first one. I haven't decided for sure whether to do it, but it's weighing on me.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Olympic hockey predictions
Note: Upon learning the three group winners are the top 3 seeds, I went back and edited my final standings and subsequent tournament picks.
I was pleased to hear the NHL will not participate in the Winter Olympics in 2018. I would prefer amateurs play in the Olympics while the NHL brings back the World Cup. So this will be the last time we see NHL players play for the Olympic gold medal till at least 2020. Here's what I see happening.
There are 3 groups, A, B, and C, with four teams in each. In the preliminary round, a team plays a round-robin against the other teams in their group. A team gets three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, one for an overtime loss, and none for a regulation loss. Here's the order of finish I predict for the groups.
Group A: USA, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia
Group B: Canada, Finland, Norway, Austria
Group C: Sweden, Czech Republic, Latvia, Switzerland
A few notes: I think the USA and Russia will finish maybe a point apart, their game could come down to overtime, which could make the difference in who wins that group. I love how deep the US is in goal with Quick, Miller, and Howard. The defense appears very young, I'm not sure about the Cam Fowler's and John Carlson's in these games. But Slovakia with Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa will give a lot of teams trouble.
Canada is scary good on offense. John Tavares is playing on the fourth line and Marty St. Louis may be used in a checking role. My only question is can Carey Price and Roberto Luongo carry the load in goal? Against elite teams like the US, Sweden, and Russia, I'm not too sure. I also have a soft spot for Norway, since the Rangers' Mats Zuccarello is their only NHL player. I like Finland a lot with Tuukka Rask in goal; I think he's going to carry their team a long way. Plus, that team has medaled in the last two Olympics.
I expect Sweden to storm through their group. Switzerland has made some Cinderella runs the last two Olympics, I think they can make a decent one since they're in a weak group. I really have little faith in the Czech Republic with Ondrej Pavelec, Jaromir Jagr, and Marek Zidlicky. And how is Ted Nolan, a Canadian, allowed to coach Latvia?
After each team plays three round robin games, the four teams with the most points get byes to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the 5th seed plays the 12th, the 6th plays the 11th, and so on. If two teams are tied with the same number of points, the first two tiebreakers are rank in their group and goal differential.
Predicted order of finish:
1. Sweden
2. Canada
3. USA
4. Finland
5. Russia
6. Switzerland
7. Slovakia
8. Czech Republic
9. Norway
10. Latvia
11. Austria
12. Slovenia
First round picks:
Russia over Slovenia
Switzerland over Austria
Slovakia over Latvia
Czech Republic over Norway
Quarterfinal picks:
Sweden over Czech Republic
Canada over Slovakia
USA over Switzerland
Russia over Finland
Semifinal picks:
Russia over Sweden
Canada over USA
Bronze medal:
USA over Sweden
Gold medal:
Canada over Russia
I was pleased to hear the NHL will not participate in the Winter Olympics in 2018. I would prefer amateurs play in the Olympics while the NHL brings back the World Cup. So this will be the last time we see NHL players play for the Olympic gold medal till at least 2020. Here's what I see happening.
There are 3 groups, A, B, and C, with four teams in each. In the preliminary round, a team plays a round-robin against the other teams in their group. A team gets three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, one for an overtime loss, and none for a regulation loss. Here's the order of finish I predict for the groups.
Group A: USA, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia
Group B: Canada, Finland, Norway, Austria
Group C: Sweden, Czech Republic, Latvia, Switzerland
A few notes: I think the USA and Russia will finish maybe a point apart, their game could come down to overtime, which could make the difference in who wins that group. I love how deep the US is in goal with Quick, Miller, and Howard. The defense appears very young, I'm not sure about the Cam Fowler's and John Carlson's in these games. But Slovakia with Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa will give a lot of teams trouble.
Canada is scary good on offense. John Tavares is playing on the fourth line and Marty St. Louis may be used in a checking role. My only question is can Carey Price and Roberto Luongo carry the load in goal? Against elite teams like the US, Sweden, and Russia, I'm not too sure. I also have a soft spot for Norway, since the Rangers' Mats Zuccarello is their only NHL player. I like Finland a lot with Tuukka Rask in goal; I think he's going to carry their team a long way. Plus, that team has medaled in the last two Olympics.
I expect Sweden to storm through their group. Switzerland has made some Cinderella runs the last two Olympics, I think they can make a decent one since they're in a weak group. I really have little faith in the Czech Republic with Ondrej Pavelec, Jaromir Jagr, and Marek Zidlicky. And how is Ted Nolan, a Canadian, allowed to coach Latvia?
After each team plays three round robin games, the four teams with the most points get byes to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the 5th seed plays the 12th, the 6th plays the 11th, and so on. If two teams are tied with the same number of points, the first two tiebreakers are rank in their group and goal differential.
Predicted order of finish:
1. Sweden
2. Canada
3. USA
4. Finland
5. Russia
6. Switzerland
7. Slovakia
8. Czech Republic
9. Norway
10. Latvia
11. Austria
12. Slovenia
First round picks:
Russia over Slovenia
Switzerland over Austria
Slovakia over Latvia
Czech Republic over Norway
Quarterfinal picks:
Sweden over Czech Republic
Canada over Slovakia
USA over Switzerland
Russia over Finland
Semifinal picks:
Russia over Sweden
Canada over USA
Bronze medal:
USA over Sweden
Gold medal:
Canada over Russia
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Detox-Part 4
Day 7
I opened Sunday by baking donut muffins with soy milk and whole wheat flour. I brought them those to a singles brunch at church. I'm just glad I wasn't the youngest guy there! For breakfast, I got away from the green machine. I drank an egg white smoothie with orange juice and some frozen fruit. Then, I drank my first liter of water. Headed to church, where Bill's message will be about getting stronger with our bodies. I doubt it's a coincidence that this message is being preached the same day as the Super Bowl!
Well, I didn't survive the Super Bowl too well. No bottles of water, fruit, or veggies to be found. At least I had an orange-carrot juice on me. But I had to eat. I wound up having a lot of chips and guac and two pieces of roasted chicken. Later, I gave in with a pinch of BBQ pork, a piece of fried chicken and four hot wings. And Kelly, this really cool girl, who I'm getting to know, offered me a Coors Light, so I had one. I don't even drink that beer too much, but I guess I felt bad for Denver! A taste of the Rockies.
As I type this, it is now Tuesday night. I've stayed eating pretty healthy aside from that Sunday night. Last night's dinner was baked salmon, sautéed spinach, quinoa, and crusty wheat bread. It was so amazing, I could have eaten that two or three nights every week. Tonight, I had wheat pasta with roasted red pepper sauce and steamed mussels. I also had my best lifting workout in maybe two weeks too. And I weighed myself and I'm down five pounds from eight days ago. That's really a good feeling!
I opened Sunday by baking donut muffins with soy milk and whole wheat flour. I brought them those to a singles brunch at church. I'm just glad I wasn't the youngest guy there! For breakfast, I got away from the green machine. I drank an egg white smoothie with orange juice and some frozen fruit. Then, I drank my first liter of water. Headed to church, where Bill's message will be about getting stronger with our bodies. I doubt it's a coincidence that this message is being preached the same day as the Super Bowl!
Well, I didn't survive the Super Bowl too well. No bottles of water, fruit, or veggies to be found. At least I had an orange-carrot juice on me. But I had to eat. I wound up having a lot of chips and guac and two pieces of roasted chicken. Later, I gave in with a pinch of BBQ pork, a piece of fried chicken and four hot wings. And Kelly, this really cool girl, who I'm getting to know, offered me a Coors Light, so I had one. I don't even drink that beer too much, but I guess I felt bad for Denver! A taste of the Rockies.
As I type this, it is now Tuesday night. I've stayed eating pretty healthy aside from that Sunday night. Last night's dinner was baked salmon, sautéed spinach, quinoa, and crusty wheat bread. It was so amazing, I could have eaten that two or three nights every week. Tonight, I had wheat pasta with roasted red pepper sauce and steamed mussels. I also had my best lifting workout in maybe two weeks too. And I weighed myself and I'm down five pounds from eight days ago. That's really a good feeling!
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Detox-Part 3
Day 5
Almost halfway home and I'm feeling a little bit lighter. I don't know if many energy level has changed much though. I actually expected that to increase a little bit.
For a change, I did not have Naked juice this morning. I went with an almond butter sandwich and a small glass of soy milk. I actually feel like I'm coming down with a bit of a cold and found myself feeling pretty hungry when I got to work. I went easy on the sweet potato pop chips, but I had an extra large handful of almonds and dried cranberries. For lunch, it was a tilapia fillet, steamed green beans, and some more quinoa. I have to say again, I could see quinoa becoming a regular part of my diet.
Midway through the day, I ate half a banana, since only half of it was actually edible. And I used the rest of my Starbucks card as I drank the biggest iced green tea on the menu, about 32 ounces. I know I should have had the hot tea, but I guess I'm rebellious like that.
For dinner, I had a little more of that lentil soup with the wheat bread and I still don't know how I ate it. So if anyone has a good lentil soup recipe that doesn't use curry, I'm open to it! Later that night, I hung out at a new friend's house in Palatine. I bought along some orange-carrot juice and drank most of it. Feeling kind of drowsy, I did have a cup of Sprite and some popcorn. OK, I gave in and had two small pieces of plain pizza. Of course, it's Chicago thin crust, so it was those little stupid squares which get your hands all greasy. I was sleepy, I needed a pick up!
That would be all I would eat as I'm fasting to prepare for my blood diagnostics work tomorrow morning. It'll help me get a better rate on my benefits at work. Since I don't smoke or use tobacco and expect to have good scored in cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides, and who knows what else, I expect to score pretty well on it. I keep saying this, as long as I don't get my blood pressure tested while watching the Mets or Jets, I should score just fine.
Day 6
A bottle of water opened the day before my blood work. After it was over, I went home and finished off my orange-carrot juice. Then it was lunch at Won 'n Fire since we had a groupon expiring that day. For my appetizer, I had some Hong Kong calamari which wasn't breaded and served with some bell peppers, mushrooms, and spinach. For my main course, I had a Szchewan stir-fry with shrimp and vegetables and wheat noodles. Excellent. I was planning to have tilapia, but I guess the word "wheat " was enough to convince me to change my mind!
That night, I had a few bean chips and salsa. Dinner was an excellent vegetarian chili that I got from Emeril Lagasse. This thing was loaded with flavors like black beans, portabellas, zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic. I would definitely make it again. I had a couple of wheat saltines with it too.
So as I write this, it is now Sunday. Super Bowl Day! I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'll probably bring my other bottle of orange-carrot juice. I'm sure I'll be able to figure a few things out at the party too. We'll see how it goes.
Almost halfway home and I'm feeling a little bit lighter. I don't know if many energy level has changed much though. I actually expected that to increase a little bit.
For a change, I did not have Naked juice this morning. I went with an almond butter sandwich and a small glass of soy milk. I actually feel like I'm coming down with a bit of a cold and found myself feeling pretty hungry when I got to work. I went easy on the sweet potato pop chips, but I had an extra large handful of almonds and dried cranberries. For lunch, it was a tilapia fillet, steamed green beans, and some more quinoa. I have to say again, I could see quinoa becoming a regular part of my diet.
Midway through the day, I ate half a banana, since only half of it was actually edible. And I used the rest of my Starbucks card as I drank the biggest iced green tea on the menu, about 32 ounces. I know I should have had the hot tea, but I guess I'm rebellious like that.
For dinner, I had a little more of that lentil soup with the wheat bread and I still don't know how I ate it. So if anyone has a good lentil soup recipe that doesn't use curry, I'm open to it! Later that night, I hung out at a new friend's house in Palatine. I bought along some orange-carrot juice and drank most of it. Feeling kind of drowsy, I did have a cup of Sprite and some popcorn. OK, I gave in and had two small pieces of plain pizza. Of course, it's Chicago thin crust, so it was those little stupid squares which get your hands all greasy. I was sleepy, I needed a pick up!
That would be all I would eat as I'm fasting to prepare for my blood diagnostics work tomorrow morning. It'll help me get a better rate on my benefits at work. Since I don't smoke or use tobacco and expect to have good scored in cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides, and who knows what else, I expect to score pretty well on it. I keep saying this, as long as I don't get my blood pressure tested while watching the Mets or Jets, I should score just fine.
Day 6
A bottle of water opened the day before my blood work. After it was over, I went home and finished off my orange-carrot juice. Then it was lunch at Won 'n Fire since we had a groupon expiring that day. For my appetizer, I had some Hong Kong calamari which wasn't breaded and served with some bell peppers, mushrooms, and spinach. For my main course, I had a Szchewan stir-fry with shrimp and vegetables and wheat noodles. Excellent. I was planning to have tilapia, but I guess the word "wheat " was enough to convince me to change my mind!
That night, I had a few bean chips and salsa. Dinner was an excellent vegetarian chili that I got from Emeril Lagasse. This thing was loaded with flavors like black beans, portabellas, zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic. I would definitely make it again. I had a couple of wheat saltines with it too.
So as I write this, it is now Sunday. Super Bowl Day! I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'll probably bring my other bottle of orange-carrot juice. I'm sure I'll be able to figure a few things out at the party too. We'll see how it goes.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
A few corrections...and being a neighbor
Think I'm gonna break up the detox posts right now. Sort of a commercial break.
1) I'm glad to see the article on my blog was posted today. However, I need to make two important key corrections. While I respect the Blackhawks, when it comes to hockey, I am a New York Rangers fan and anyone who knows me will vouch for this. Second, I have lived in St, Charles for 10.5 years, not 16 as the article said. I moved to Chicagoland for the first time in 1997 and I was living in Wheaton and Winfield.
2) Ok, one food note. My dad sent me a text today. He didn't know about my diet. He probably would have said something about how I didn't need to do it. But he loves his hot dogs and fried chicken. And he told me on Super Bowl Sunday, if I buy 20 pieces of chicken, I get 10 free. This is definitely not the time to get that text.
3) So I have a dilemma for Valentine's Day night. I could go to a single's masquerade ball at a bowling alley in Hoffman Estates or I could go by myself to see the Marshall Tucker Band in Bolingbrook. I'm not too sure how I'm going to decide this one.
4) Speaking of music, I've been waiting ten years for this. Barry Gibb will be going on tour in the United States in 2014. He'll be performing in Chicago at the United Center in late May. There is no way I'm going to miss this concert!
5) I downloaded John Ortberg's 3-part series about being good neighbors. As I guessed, the opening music was the theme from Mr. Rogers. It's funny no matter how old we get, those corny, yet happy words can still make us smile. Anyway, he stressed the importance of loving our neighbor. It wasn't just a suggestion that Jesus made, it was a command. It went right along side with loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Also, I liked that he actually challenged members of his church to get out and meet neighbors. In the programs, he had pre-drawn diagrams of several houses for each attender and had them write the names of their neighbors in those houses. That is so important. Too many times we can hear a good message or sermon and after it's over, we think to ourselves, "Well, that was nice. On with my day." If we don't apply it to our thinking and actions, then what was the point of listening to it? Faith without deeds truly is dead.
1) I'm glad to see the article on my blog was posted today. However, I need to make two important key corrections. While I respect the Blackhawks, when it comes to hockey, I am a New York Rangers fan and anyone who knows me will vouch for this. Second, I have lived in St, Charles for 10.5 years, not 16 as the article said. I moved to Chicagoland for the first time in 1997 and I was living in Wheaton and Winfield.
2) Ok, one food note. My dad sent me a text today. He didn't know about my diet. He probably would have said something about how I didn't need to do it. But he loves his hot dogs and fried chicken. And he told me on Super Bowl Sunday, if I buy 20 pieces of chicken, I get 10 free. This is definitely not the time to get that text.
3) So I have a dilemma for Valentine's Day night. I could go to a single's masquerade ball at a bowling alley in Hoffman Estates or I could go by myself to see the Marshall Tucker Band in Bolingbrook. I'm not too sure how I'm going to decide this one.
4) Speaking of music, I've been waiting ten years for this. Barry Gibb will be going on tour in the United States in 2014. He'll be performing in Chicago at the United Center in late May. There is no way I'm going to miss this concert!
5) I downloaded John Ortberg's 3-part series about being good neighbors. As I guessed, the opening music was the theme from Mr. Rogers. It's funny no matter how old we get, those corny, yet happy words can still make us smile. Anyway, he stressed the importance of loving our neighbor. It wasn't just a suggestion that Jesus made, it was a command. It went right along side with loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Also, I liked that he actually challenged members of his church to get out and meet neighbors. In the programs, he had pre-drawn diagrams of several houses for each attender and had them write the names of their neighbors in those houses. That is so important. Too many times we can hear a good message or sermon and after it's over, we think to ourselves, "Well, that was nice. On with my day." If we don't apply it to our thinking and actions, then what was the point of listening to it? Faith without deeds truly is dead.
Detox-Part 2
Day 3
It's 3:15 on Wednesday afternoon. Breakfast wasn't too different, just another drink of green machine. A few hours later, I had three handfuls of sweet potato pop chips. I keep going back to those, in small doses. I have to keep reminding myself that they are not fried! For lunch, I made an almond butter sandwich on wheat bread. It's gotten to the point where I'm almost nervous about eating any kind of bread, even if it's whole grain! I also had three stalks of celery and a honey crisp apple. A few minutes ago, I had one handful of my almond/dried cranberry mix and that really does help to keep my energy up and keep my stomach at ease for a couple of hours.
I hadn't been lifting much lately, so I made sure to get a solid workout in. Dinner was a shake with almond milk, peanut butter, a banana, and vanilla extract. It tasted pretty decent. Sadly, it needed a spoonful of vanilla ice cream!
Day 4
Today, breakfast was an orange and a little more green machine. For lunch, I had baked a mixture of Yukon gold potatoes, spinach, asparagus, and tomatoes. I had that along with an avocado. After work, I ran five miles on the treadmill. Dinner was a couple of pieces of crusty whole grain bread and a bowl of lentil soup which I prepared in my Vitamix. It wasn't the best soup I've ever had; it had cumin, cinnamon, and some other spices that gave it almost an Indian or Middle Eastern flavor, which I'm not totally find of. But it was good to have a soup other than chicken or tortilla. And I think it's really cool that I can actually make soups right in a blender and heat it as well!
So I'm almost to the midway point. I'm down three pounds already. No meat, no white flour, no dairy, no fried food, no caffeine, and no alcohol. But I have to admit I have a craving for some Burt's pizza or some smoked chicken wings and turkey from Q-BBQ.
It's 3:15 on Wednesday afternoon. Breakfast wasn't too different, just another drink of green machine. A few hours later, I had three handfuls of sweet potato pop chips. I keep going back to those, in small doses. I have to keep reminding myself that they are not fried! For lunch, I made an almond butter sandwich on wheat bread. It's gotten to the point where I'm almost nervous about eating any kind of bread, even if it's whole grain! I also had three stalks of celery and a honey crisp apple. A few minutes ago, I had one handful of my almond/dried cranberry mix and that really does help to keep my energy up and keep my stomach at ease for a couple of hours.
I hadn't been lifting much lately, so I made sure to get a solid workout in. Dinner was a shake with almond milk, peanut butter, a banana, and vanilla extract. It tasted pretty decent. Sadly, it needed a spoonful of vanilla ice cream!
Day 4
Today, breakfast was an orange and a little more green machine. For lunch, I had baked a mixture of Yukon gold potatoes, spinach, asparagus, and tomatoes. I had that along with an avocado. After work, I ran five miles on the treadmill. Dinner was a couple of pieces of crusty whole grain bread and a bowl of lentil soup which I prepared in my Vitamix. It wasn't the best soup I've ever had; it had cumin, cinnamon, and some other spices that gave it almost an Indian or Middle Eastern flavor, which I'm not totally find of. But it was good to have a soup other than chicken or tortilla. And I think it's really cool that I can actually make soups right in a blender and heat it as well!
So I'm almost to the midway point. I'm down three pounds already. No meat, no white flour, no dairy, no fried food, no caffeine, and no alcohol. But I have to admit I have a craving for some Burt's pizza or some smoked chicken wings and turkey from Q-BBQ.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Detox-Part 1
So a few weeks ago, mother decided to do this 10-day detox. No meat, which for me is hard enough. Not to mention, no crustaceans or farm-raised fish .But I'm also trying to eliminate most animal products such as butter and cheese. But I may have a few egg whites. For drinks, I won't have any alcohol for ten days or black tea, which I drink several days a week. Plus, she can't have yogurt or coffee, which are her two staples in the morning. So for me, it's a ton more produce. I try to eat it, except it's inconvenient, expensive, and we don't exactly get the best stuff in Illinois, especially in the middle of winter. This isn't going to be easy for me, especially come Super Bowl Sunday, but I figured I would give this a shot and see what happens. I'm going to track all ten days with what I eat and how I'm feeling throughout the process.
Day 1
I woke up in New York City and after having pasta, braciole, and red wine the night before, I realized I had better savor that food. I'm not gonna be eating anything like it for ten days. I drank a 15-ounce green machine Naked juice, which I drink pretty often, so that was no problem.
For lunch, I finished the second half of a peanut butter FitCrunch bar. Since I still had a little 1 percent milk left, I mixed that with soy milk. I have to say I really enjoyed the taste. I also have almond milk in the fridge and I'm excited to try that for the first time. After running 4 miles at the gym, I came home and had a salmon filet with some leftover mushroom risotto and grilled bell peppers. Pretty satisfying, though I was hungry two hours later. I ate a honey bell (hybrid of a tangerine and grapefruit) and that took care of me for the night.
Day 2
Breakfast was a swig of green machine juice, which I imagine will become a habit. I did also ahve a honey wheat English muffin with some peanut butter. I'm going to try to limit the peanut butter, but it'll be tough to eliminate it, especially since I'm avoiding meat. Lunch at work was ratatouille, which was a homemade mix of tomatoes, eggplant, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms. I didn't bring any bread and obviously I had no meat with it. I had never had it, but I enjoyed the taste and would eat it again. Unfortunately, some good crusty bread would have really come in handy! As it was, I ate a couple handfuls of sweet potato pop chips. Since these aren't fried, I think I can have a few of these in small doses.
I skipped the gym since I had some homework to finish on the last night of my third grad class. By the time I got home six hours after lunch, I was more than ready to eat. I waited for mom to get home from Mariano's grocery store, but the waiting wasn't going so well for me. I took out a piece of whole wheat bread, spread a generous portion of almond butter on top, and wolfed it down. I wound up having two pieces of mahi mahi that I baked in parchment paper with a slice of tomato and some zucchini. Sure, it tasted light enough, but it more flavor, like some olive oil or lemon juice. Something to marry the flavors together. Along with that, we had some green beans which we topped with salt, pepper, and some balsamic vinaigrette. Not too bad. Then, there was some lousy deli salad with chickpeas and garbanzo beans that I would rather not touch again. The only other thing I had the rest of the day was a handful of popcorn.
As Day 2 is coming to an end, my stomach feels a little empty, so I'm just trying to be strong. I'm pretty sure I can get through this right now. I don't feel much different yet in terms of energy or that kind of thing; I'm guessing that will take some more time. By the way, I weighed myself on Day 1 when I went to the gym. I weighed 169.6 pounds. Let's see if that changes.
Day 1
I woke up in New York City and after having pasta, braciole, and red wine the night before, I realized I had better savor that food. I'm not gonna be eating anything like it for ten days. I drank a 15-ounce green machine Naked juice, which I drink pretty often, so that was no problem.
For lunch, I finished the second half of a peanut butter FitCrunch bar. Since I still had a little 1 percent milk left, I mixed that with soy milk. I have to say I really enjoyed the taste. I also have almond milk in the fridge and I'm excited to try that for the first time. After running 4 miles at the gym, I came home and had a salmon filet with some leftover mushroom risotto and grilled bell peppers. Pretty satisfying, though I was hungry two hours later. I ate a honey bell (hybrid of a tangerine and grapefruit) and that took care of me for the night.
Day 2
Breakfast was a swig of green machine juice, which I imagine will become a habit. I did also ahve a honey wheat English muffin with some peanut butter. I'm going to try to limit the peanut butter, but it'll be tough to eliminate it, especially since I'm avoiding meat. Lunch at work was ratatouille, which was a homemade mix of tomatoes, eggplant, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms. I didn't bring any bread and obviously I had no meat with it. I had never had it, but I enjoyed the taste and would eat it again. Unfortunately, some good crusty bread would have really come in handy! As it was, I ate a couple handfuls of sweet potato pop chips. Since these aren't fried, I think I can have a few of these in small doses.
I skipped the gym since I had some homework to finish on the last night of my third grad class. By the time I got home six hours after lunch, I was more than ready to eat. I waited for mom to get home from Mariano's grocery store, but the waiting wasn't going so well for me. I took out a piece of whole wheat bread, spread a generous portion of almond butter on top, and wolfed it down. I wound up having two pieces of mahi mahi that I baked in parchment paper with a slice of tomato and some zucchini. Sure, it tasted light enough, but it more flavor, like some olive oil or lemon juice. Something to marry the flavors together. Along with that, we had some green beans which we topped with salt, pepper, and some balsamic vinaigrette. Not too bad. Then, there was some lousy deli salad with chickpeas and garbanzo beans that I would rather not touch again. The only other thing I had the rest of the day was a handful of popcorn.
As Day 2 is coming to an end, my stomach feels a little empty, so I'm just trying to be strong. I'm pretty sure I can get through this right now. I don't feel much different yet in terms of energy or that kind of thing; I'm guessing that will take some more time. By the way, I weighed myself on Day 1 when I went to the gym. I weighed 169.6 pounds. Let's see if that changes.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Thanks...and an interesting Friday night
1) I'd like to thank Joy Davis for finding my blog and offering to profile it in the Beacon News. Maybe that will increase the average readership from 10 all the way to 12, you never know! I just enjoy writing regardless, no matter if people read or not.
2) The next restaurant in Chicago I want to visit: Butcher and the Burger. It's right off the Armitage stop on the brown and purple lines. It intrigues me that they have 9 or 10 different meats and that there's an actually a butcher who prepares the burgers on site. I definitely like bison, but I don't know if I can justify spending $14.50 for a bison burger, especially once I add the extra toppings.
3) Speaking of burgers, the Squared Circle makes one of the most filling ones I've ever had. I ordered the Hottie Tottie, cheddar-stuffed, topped with more cheddar, four strips of deep-fried bacon, and two types of BBQ sauce. Throw in a side of the beer-battered onion rings and I'm still amazed I was able to walk at the end of the night. The toasted marshmallow shake did help to calm my stomach down though. That shake along with the oatmeal cookie shake are worth returning for.
4) And getting home from the Squared Circle was quite the adventure. First, Q gave me a ride from Ashland and Fullerton to the Clybourn Metra station. Since it was 10 degrees and snowing out, waiting outside for a train wasn't exactly ideal. My plan was to take either the North or Northwest line one stop south to Ogilvie. After that, I would walk over to the west line and head an hour out to West Chicago before driving 15 minutes home.
Well, I waited ten minutes alone in the snow. The North line came first and the ten minute ride to Ogilvie went smooth. So I stepped off the train around 10:22 and walked down the track to the main platform where the monitors were. I checked the schedule and I saw the Elburn train was leaving at 10:40, which I knew, and was leaving from Track 7. I saw the track and saw the electronic display where all the stops were posted. I climbed on and walked past several cars of Blackhawks fans before finding a seat. I removed my winter jacket, hat, and gloves, and settled on the leather seat. I took my iPod out and put some music on, not sure what the song was, but it was not too loud.
Good thing it wasn't loud. All of a sudden, I heard the conductor's voice over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen this is the 10:30 train to Crystal Lake." I sat up in my seat and I was thinking "Did I just hear him right?" I put my jacket on and made my way quickly down the narrow aisle. I was just waiting for the train to start moving. I tried to open three sets of double doors, but they were all locked. I finally found the conductor and he let me off. I wound up next to this cute brunette girl who apparently made the same mistake I had. We both felt much better, knowing we weren't the only one who had been duped. With ten minutes, we realized the correct train was actually one track over. So somewhere there was a mix-up, we don't know what it was, but we were glad we figured it out in time.
I asked if I could sit with her and she said "Sure." We chatted about a little bit of everything. Of course when she mentioned she liked Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, I scowled. I opened my coat and showed her my New York Jets hoodie that I was wearing. Yeah, that killed the mood pretty quick for both of us! Actually, we had a decent conversation about the city vs. the suburbs, work, parents, etc. We sat together for about a half hour, before she got off at Elmhurst, well before my stop. I thought briefly about asking for her number, but I think I had about ten years on her, it just didn't seem like it was a great idea. But it was fine while it lasted.
5) Even though I'm looking forward to the merger between American Airlines and US Airways going through, it's apparently not helping my weekend trips to New York City. Usually, American had 7 or 8 flights from O'Hare to LaGuardia every Saturday. This coming Saturday...three stinking flights to New York all day. There are probably more flights going to Ann Arbor that day. Ridiculous.
2) The next restaurant in Chicago I want to visit: Butcher and the Burger. It's right off the Armitage stop on the brown and purple lines. It intrigues me that they have 9 or 10 different meats and that there's an actually a butcher who prepares the burgers on site. I definitely like bison, but I don't know if I can justify spending $14.50 for a bison burger, especially once I add the extra toppings.
3) Speaking of burgers, the Squared Circle makes one of the most filling ones I've ever had. I ordered the Hottie Tottie, cheddar-stuffed, topped with more cheddar, four strips of deep-fried bacon, and two types of BBQ sauce. Throw in a side of the beer-battered onion rings and I'm still amazed I was able to walk at the end of the night. The toasted marshmallow shake did help to calm my stomach down though. That shake along with the oatmeal cookie shake are worth returning for.
4) And getting home from the Squared Circle was quite the adventure. First, Q gave me a ride from Ashland and Fullerton to the Clybourn Metra station. Since it was 10 degrees and snowing out, waiting outside for a train wasn't exactly ideal. My plan was to take either the North or Northwest line one stop south to Ogilvie. After that, I would walk over to the west line and head an hour out to West Chicago before driving 15 minutes home.
Well, I waited ten minutes alone in the snow. The North line came first and the ten minute ride to Ogilvie went smooth. So I stepped off the train around 10:22 and walked down the track to the main platform where the monitors were. I checked the schedule and I saw the Elburn train was leaving at 10:40, which I knew, and was leaving from Track 7. I saw the track and saw the electronic display where all the stops were posted. I climbed on and walked past several cars of Blackhawks fans before finding a seat. I removed my winter jacket, hat, and gloves, and settled on the leather seat. I took my iPod out and put some music on, not sure what the song was, but it was not too loud.
Good thing it wasn't loud. All of a sudden, I heard the conductor's voice over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen this is the 10:30 train to Crystal Lake." I sat up in my seat and I was thinking "Did I just hear him right?" I put my jacket on and made my way quickly down the narrow aisle. I was just waiting for the train to start moving. I tried to open three sets of double doors, but they were all locked. I finally found the conductor and he let me off. I wound up next to this cute brunette girl who apparently made the same mistake I had. We both felt much better, knowing we weren't the only one who had been duped. With ten minutes, we realized the correct train was actually one track over. So somewhere there was a mix-up, we don't know what it was, but we were glad we figured it out in time.
I asked if I could sit with her and she said "Sure." We chatted about a little bit of everything. Of course when she mentioned she liked Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, I scowled. I opened my coat and showed her my New York Jets hoodie that I was wearing. Yeah, that killed the mood pretty quick for both of us! Actually, we had a decent conversation about the city vs. the suburbs, work, parents, etc. We sat together for about a half hour, before she got off at Elmhurst, well before my stop. I thought briefly about asking for her number, but I think I had about ten years on her, it just didn't seem like it was a great idea. But it was fine while it lasted.
5) Even though I'm looking forward to the merger between American Airlines and US Airways going through, it's apparently not helping my weekend trips to New York City. Usually, American had 7 or 8 flights from O'Hare to LaGuardia every Saturday. This coming Saturday...three stinking flights to New York all day. There are probably more flights going to Ann Arbor that day. Ridiculous.
Sports recap
1) So we are two weeks away from the Super Bowl. No doubt, the two best teams in the game, Seattle and Denver, are playing in Met Life Stadium. Bottom line: I can go to a Super Bowl party without being afraid of watching New England win.
I looked back at my NFL predictions to see how I did. In the AFC, I got 4 of the 6 playoff teams correct, and Pittsburgh very nearly made it 5. I'm glad I picked Kansas City to rise up and win a wild card; they did just that. But I actually though Houston would be the number one seed. Not just a playoff team. Not just a division winner. But the number one seed in the whole AFC. And they wound up with the worst record in football. I picked them to beat New England in the AFC title game, so at least I had the loser of that game right.
In the NFC, I correctly picked Seattle to win the conference. They were the best team all year and they proved it. I had them beating Green Bay in the NFC title game and the Packers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Then again, if Aaron Rodgers hadn't been injured for 6 weeks, they would have had a better record and would have avoided playing San Francisco. I also picked 4 of the 6 NFC playoff teams correctly. I didn't believe in Carolina and I believed in Atlanta and the Giants. But I was correct that New Orleans would come back and make the playoffs.
As for the Jets, I thought they could win 7 games, but I went conservative and picked them to win 6. They surprised me, they won 8.
2) The Knicks stink. Outside of Carmelo Anthony, they are deplorable. Mike Woodson needs to be fired as coach. Players like Melo and Tyson Chandler are questioning his defensive strategies to the media. That tells me that he has lost the locker room. The guard play has been the biggest disappointment to me though. Iman Shumpert has regressed. Raymond Felton has regressed so much he's traveling back in time. Tim Hardaway Jr is a good rookie, I think he can be a fine player. But there is just no ball movement and not enough toughness.
3) I'm going to see the Rangers play an outdoor game in Yankee Stadium against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon. This is going to be a special event. I still haven't decided how to dress for the cold. I'm pretty sure I'll need to wear a winter jacket. I hope I can fit one of my old Rangers jerseys over the jacket. Technically, this is a Devils home game, but amongst the 50,000 who will be in attendance, I'll be interested to see which team has more fans in the seats.
4) I like the Mets signing SP John Lannan to a minor league contract. Between him, Wheeler, Niese, Gee, Mejia, and Colon, they have some very good depth in that starting rotation. That's with Matt Harvey injured for the season and leaving out Noah Syndergaard who will likely enter the majors around June or July. It doesn't look like Ike Davis will be traded, now that Milwaukee has signed Lyle Overbay to play first base. Fine by me. I'm willing to give Davis one more season.I wish Lucas Duda could be traded out of here, I really think he is useless. He is like Ike, except he plays worse defense. And Stephen Drew is still on the market. I would happily take him in the lineup to play shortstop over Ruben Tejada, who I have all but given up on.
I'll write a deeper preview of the Mets in the coming months, but I'll say this for now. I hope they can settle on a leadoff hitter. I wouldn't mind Eric Young Jr, except it's hard to see where he fits in this lineup. Chris Young? He has done it before, but strikes out about as often as Davis and Duda. If they could settle that spot, I'd have more confidence in that lineup.
5) Finally, I'm not ashamed to say this. I watched the two-part documentary of Vince Lombardi on NFL Network. I admit it. I cried.
I looked back at my NFL predictions to see how I did. In the AFC, I got 4 of the 6 playoff teams correct, and Pittsburgh very nearly made it 5. I'm glad I picked Kansas City to rise up and win a wild card; they did just that. But I actually though Houston would be the number one seed. Not just a playoff team. Not just a division winner. But the number one seed in the whole AFC. And they wound up with the worst record in football. I picked them to beat New England in the AFC title game, so at least I had the loser of that game right.
In the NFC, I correctly picked Seattle to win the conference. They were the best team all year and they proved it. I had them beating Green Bay in the NFC title game and the Packers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Then again, if Aaron Rodgers hadn't been injured for 6 weeks, they would have had a better record and would have avoided playing San Francisco. I also picked 4 of the 6 NFC playoff teams correctly. I didn't believe in Carolina and I believed in Atlanta and the Giants. But I was correct that New Orleans would come back and make the playoffs.
As for the Jets, I thought they could win 7 games, but I went conservative and picked them to win 6. They surprised me, they won 8.
2) The Knicks stink. Outside of Carmelo Anthony, they are deplorable. Mike Woodson needs to be fired as coach. Players like Melo and Tyson Chandler are questioning his defensive strategies to the media. That tells me that he has lost the locker room. The guard play has been the biggest disappointment to me though. Iman Shumpert has regressed. Raymond Felton has regressed so much he's traveling back in time. Tim Hardaway Jr is a good rookie, I think he can be a fine player. But there is just no ball movement and not enough toughness.
3) I'm going to see the Rangers play an outdoor game in Yankee Stadium against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon. This is going to be a special event. I still haven't decided how to dress for the cold. I'm pretty sure I'll need to wear a winter jacket. I hope I can fit one of my old Rangers jerseys over the jacket. Technically, this is a Devils home game, but amongst the 50,000 who will be in attendance, I'll be interested to see which team has more fans in the seats.
4) I like the Mets signing SP John Lannan to a minor league contract. Between him, Wheeler, Niese, Gee, Mejia, and Colon, they have some very good depth in that starting rotation. That's with Matt Harvey injured for the season and leaving out Noah Syndergaard who will likely enter the majors around June or July. It doesn't look like Ike Davis will be traded, now that Milwaukee has signed Lyle Overbay to play first base. Fine by me. I'm willing to give Davis one more season.I wish Lucas Duda could be traded out of here, I really think he is useless. He is like Ike, except he plays worse defense. And Stephen Drew is still on the market. I would happily take him in the lineup to play shortstop over Ruben Tejada, who I have all but given up on.
I'll write a deeper preview of the Mets in the coming months, but I'll say this for now. I hope they can settle on a leadoff hitter. I wouldn't mind Eric Young Jr, except it's hard to see where he fits in this lineup. Chris Young? He has done it before, but strikes out about as often as Davis and Duda. If they could settle that spot, I'd have more confidence in that lineup.
5) Finally, I'm not ashamed to say this. I watched the two-part documentary of Vince Lombardi on NFL Network. I admit it. I cried.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Goodbye
I’ve been fortunate in
many ways in my life, but one of the biggest ways is that death has not touched
me too many times or too deeply. The death that has been the hardest on me was
losing my dog, Hogan, in October 2007. But if I was asked what human being’s
death grieved me the most, I wouldn’t have a long list of candidates to choose
from.
I don’t have a large
family. My paternal grandparents are both gone now. Like Hogan, they passed in
2007, my grandfather first from heart failure and my grandmother from
Alzheimer’s complications. My maternal grandparents may go soon, but their
deaths certainly wouldn’t shock me. None of my classmates have died. One of my
colleagues at California Pizza Kitchen suddenly died at 19 years old in 2005,
but as sad as it was, we were never close. No church colleagues have died and
no close friends either.
So a letter came to my
house in the mail yesterday. I got the news about someone dying; it was someone
I used to spend a lot of time with. Someone I thought I knew well. He had
passed away on December 20, 2013, so almost a month after the event. Even
though he lived in Illinois most all his life, he died in Hot Springs, AR. It
was David Unger, my ex-stepfather. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s, like my
grandmother had, for about five years, maybe more.
He came into my life
in 1993, around the time my parents were divorcing. He seemed like a decent,
mild-mannered guy. He rode his bike a lot, enjoyed good food and travel, and
had an engineering background. I didn’t want a step-parent, which is the case
with most teenagers, especially when their other biological parent is still
alive. I didn’t even attend the wedding; I couldn’t tell you when it was and I
only know it was on a small boat somewhere in the Caribbean. But once the three
of us moved to Illinois in 1997, we all seemed to get along decently. We had
three timeshares and because of that, I was able to enjoy trips in places like Orlando,
Cabo San Lucas, and Cancun. We even took a weekend trip to Cleveland, where we
saw an Indians-Reds game and watched “Whose Line” in the hotel. I remember the
episode vividly, Richard Simmons was the guest. It was one of the funniest things
I have ever seen.
But it was around the
time we moved that Mom started to discover this guy wasn’t what he claimed. He
was a pathological liar. He even lied to her about the number of times he had
been married. Call me crazy, but I think that’s kind of an important thing to
be truthful about. He lied about serving in the Vietnam War, so we worked to
get his VA benefits when he never was eligible for them. When he was diagnosed,
Mom would take time off of work, drive to his small apartment in Mt. Morris and
drive him a half hour to a hospital in Rockford to get checked out. They
divorced in either 2006 or 2007; I know the marriage lasted ten years. Despite
the marriage never being good and despite two periods of separation, she wanted
to be kind. She would take him on an occasional trip, she would drive him to
see his parents’ graves, and she would buy food at Costco and drive it an hour
to his apartment. She went so far above and beyond for him, it was amazing to
me.
And how was she
repaid? Once we got his social security established, his first wife comes back,
marries him, and sues us. I have never seen my mother go through so much stress,
heartache, and pain. Long story short, we lost a lot of money through a series
of very painful court proceedings. Since the decision came down three years
ago, I never saw him again. Nor did I care to.
I actually don’t remember
the last time I saw him. I don’t know the cause of death, whether it was
Alzheimer’s or not. I don’t really care. But it isn’t lost on me now that at
church last Sunday, Pastor Bill’s sermon was all about truth-telling. David
could have used that message years ago. Even though he’d go to church, he
apparently never understood how much God hates lies. Christ claimed he is the
way, the truth, and the life. It wasn’t a multiple choice question.
If I could
say something to him now, I think I would just ask him was it really worth it
to screw my mother and I? Then again, could I really believe his answer? I don’t
think I’d trust him even if his tongue was notarized.
Goodbye and
to be honest, good riddance.
Monday, January 06, 2014
Florida-Days 5 & 6
I
woke up at 6 and Mom was not happy, as our bill had been slipped under the door.
Our original reservation had us checking out on Sunday, but we had subsequently
arranged to check out Monday since I would have the room alone for 24 hours.
Thankfully, we were able to handle it and they said I could get a free
breakfast when I came back. I drove Mom to the Wal-Mart in Clearwater to drop
her off for her tour to Savannah. The rain had started by now, so it wasn’t
smooth sailing on those roads. And on my way back, my GPS got me lost.
Apparently, it wasn’t anticipating the
detours in the roads. So it took me 45 minutes to get back instead of 30.
I
ran five miles on the treadmill, then headed into the hotel bistro where I ate
egg whites, bacon, sourdough toast, and a few bad breakfast potatoes. Needed
seasoning! After doing some more schoolwork, I headed north in the rain to
Lifepoint. It turned out the Saturday night service had been cancelled, since
they had already run a dozen Christmas week services. I introduced myself to
the woman behind the desk and she was amazed that I went to Willow Creek
Church. People really seem to have a fascination with that church and with Bill
Hybels. The music was loud and the pastor talked about a new start in 2014. I
don’t remember too much about his message, but I remember at the end he pointed
out that you can’t start a new chapter if you keep re-reading the last one.
That’s something I’m gonna take with me.
I
took off and drove nine minutes southwest to Peabody’s, home of the Jets fan of
Tampa Bay club. It was a pretty huge bar and the Jets fans had their own room,
which was kind of cool. We had a huge projector screen to watch the game and
there were probably 30 people or so. They said it was kind of a low turnout
with the game being on locally, Christmas time having just passed, and the Jets
being eliminated from playoff contention. But I went there to make some noise
and the Jets gave me reasons as they dominated the Dolphins 20-7, eliminating
them from playoff contention.
I
met a few interesting people like Al, who has been a Jets fan since 1960 (bless
his soul) and Melissa, a recently converted fan, who gives great hugs. She also
likes the Bears and is originally from Fort Wayne, IN, so she was pretty
interested that I was from Chicago. I’m still trying to figure out how to contact
her. They had a 50/50 raffle for cash and Jets prizes. I contributed five
dollars, which gave me ten tickets. The total pot was $22, which means people
had spent $44 total. So I had pretty good odds of winning. They pulled nine
tickets and none of mine were ever called! One guy actually won four times! In
the end, they gave me a Jets mini-pennant, maybe out of pity.
I
left with the rain falling harder and drove south down 4 and 275 to downtown
Tampa. I hit a pretty hard traffic jam, so instead of going back to the hotel
to clean up, I just headed straight for the parking lot. I parked about three
blocks away from the Tampa St Pete Times Forum just as the rain was stopping. I
changed from my Jets t-shirt into my white Henrik Lundqvist jersey. I walked to
Thunder Alley, the concourse outside the arena and saw a lot of Rangers fans. I
conversed with a lot of them, asking where they were from, if they went to a
lot of games, etc. I even bought a couple of Lightning pucks from the store.
They had a Lightning logo but with a beach background, so I thought they were
pretty cool.
They
let us in an hour before game time and I headed straight to Section 105, where
the Rangers would come out for warm-ups. I took time to observe the arena and
was quite impressed. They had a huge scoreboard just like the one at Cowboys
Stadium, the seating areas were clean, the seats were comfortable, and they had
a huge pipe organ behind one of the goals in the upper level. It was like Phantom of the Opera at a hockey game! The
warm-ups finally did start around 6:35, it took 45 minutes of waiting.
I
sat in the upper level in Section 304, on one of the corners in an aisle seat.
The pre-game was pretty elaborate with electric waves going off around the
scoreboard. The fans were pretty loud although they could use a little
etiquette about when to cheer. The elongated goalie chant is done after the
home team scores, not at any random moment. And they were singing all these
songs in one section, 307, though I couldn’t make out any of the words. At
least they had energy.
Most
importantly, the Rangers won 4-3, thanks to three power play goals and some
exceptional play in goal from Lundqvist during the third period. I did have a
really good hot dog off a flat grill with mustard and sautéed peppers and
onions. Getting downstairs to get the hot dog was brutal, there is only one
escalators that go from the 300 level to the 100 level and one on the opposite
side that goes the other way. That’s probably my biggest complaint. And I
stayed after for the Lightning postgame radio show, where the hosts interviewed
Anders Lindback, the Tampa goalie. It was pretty cool to have that
approachability between fans and the organization. I got back to the room and
watched the end of the Philly-Dallas game to determine the NFC East champion.
Surprise, Cowboys lose. Third straight year their season ends in Week 17 with a
chance to win the division. Sorry Dad.
On
Monday, I woke up at 7 to grab one more workout at LA Fitness. Those tricep
press downs and incline presses felt great. Then after a peanut butter and
banana protein shake, I packed, checked out of the hotel, and dropped the car
off at Sixt. With ¼ tank of gas, just like when I picked it up on Christmas
afternoon. With some time to kill before my 12:20 flight, I took the shuttle to
Terminal F instead of E. I had to pass security, but I wanted one more taste of
Columbia for some Cuban food before I left. So I sat down at the Columbia Café
bar and ordered a half and half: 1905 salad and Cuban sandwich. I got to see
the chef mix the salad and assemble the sandwich right in front of me, which
was really cool. He explained to me the basics of the Cuban roast pork and how
the combination of orange, lemon, and lime bring different flavors to the pork,
but make it taste great. It was really cool.
So
when that was done, I took the shuttle back to the main concourse, took the
shuttle to the E terminal, went through a much longer security line, and got to
my gate. I made it easily and flew home. After picking up my bag, I had to
sprint to make the Blue Sky van to get back to my car. I had to run so fast, I
didn’t even have a chance to put my jacket on. So I’m running outside in just a
polo shirt and it’s 15 degrees out! Not what I had in mind! I got the van
though, packed my car, paid the $48 bill and headed home.
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