Archive for the ‘friends’ Category

The Ballad of Stubby (redux)

Posted: July 22, 2013 in 5K, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, friends, homeowner's association, Inspiration, Physical activity, Stubby the Wonder Toe, Supportive Partner Woman, Team AllEars, Wanda, Weight loss
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So, it was a helluva week last week.

I not only killed it at the gym, I managed to wound Stubby as well.

See, on Thursday, I was actually running on the treadmill. It felt pretty good… the left ankle was barking a little, but that was the extent of my pain.

When I got home from work that night, well, I found that Stubby had a pretty substantial blister that had developed where there was a corn.

Cue frowny face.

I had Supportive Partner Woman (tender of my feet!) give it a Betadyne bath, then slept with my foot hanging off the bed, allowing it to air out. The next day I called my podiatrist and scheduled an appointment for this morning. He was impressed at how well it is healing and told me I could get out of the Boot of Shame. So I have that going for me. The bad news is that I’ll need to spend a week in it in early August. The doc wants to straighten the two remaining hammertoes on my left foot. Not something that I’m really looking forward to, but what can you do? This will hopefully prevent any more corns from forming.

In the other news, it’s time for a rant.

Got another letter from Evil Bitch Queen Wanda of our homeowner’s association. This time saying that we need to put down a “mulch” barrier to prevent damage to the siding from the lawn crew trimming.

My first thought was, “Seriously, this is the first you mention it after the lawn crew has had SIX YEARS to jack up the siding?

My second thought was a lot less charitable.

I posted about this on FB and one of my friends had the winning comment regarding the “mulch barrier.” She said, “Four foot bunker made of bags of mulch. Check.”

Amen.

So far we’ve established that the foot is healing nicely, me running isn’t pretty,and, oh, yeah, Wanda is an evil bitch.

Not bad for a day’s work.

So, on to the fun part of today’s post… Another fine inspirational story.

When I was in elementary school I had a very good friend named Mark. We played together pretty often and we kept in touch well through elementary and middle schools. At that time we went to different schools, and as frequently happens, we lost touch. Fast forward 20 years and we reconnected via Facebook. I’ve been very open about the health issues I have faced, and he had faced some similar issues. It’s been a long road for both of us, but he’s done some running and it inspired me to get in better shape. It’s kind of funny that I can find inspiration from someone I haven’t seen in over twenty years but still think the world of.

Thank you, Mark, for your friendship, inspiration, and also your donation to the Avon Walk. Every little bit counts.

Speaking of which, if you want to contribute, visit my personal fundraising page at

http://info.avonfoundation.org/goto/BrianT.

Have a great day, everyone~

Yet another in a series…

Posted: July 2, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Exercise, Foot issues, friends, home improvement, Inspiration, Mickey Miles podcast, Physical activity, Team AllEars, Walking, Weight loss
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It’s Tuesday and I’m a little loopy from sniffing polyurethane. Yes, I was in a well-ventilated area, but that stuff is pretty potent.

Progress continues to be made on my shelf project. All parts are cut and sanded, and all but a couple of sides are stained and polyurethaned, It should look pretty good when it is finally complete. Next job will be to find a place to hang it. Yikes!

So, I had some more inspiring folks I wanted to give a shoutout to. Todays co-honorees are my Team AllEars co-captains Michelle and Mike.

These are folks I again met through Magic Meets (are you sensing a pattern?) and they’ve always been great friends to myself and Supportive Partner Woman. Michelle is actually a frequent Words With Friends opponent (she usually wipes the floor with me) and has been subtly encouraging me to join the team. They have seen my struggles to keep up with the crowd at Reunion and seen me suffer through the blisters from hell. While I was in the program, both Mike and Michelle would check in with me to see how I was doing and it was hard to tell who was more excited when I committed to join the team from my hospital bed. They even sent a lovely flower arrangement that lasted over a month.

It’s hard to express how much their encouragement has inspired me, but if you want to talk about great leaders leading by example, I would be hard pressed to find a pair of co-captains who exemplify that adage more than Michelle and Mike. I’m proud to call them my friends and my inspirations.

So, second shift is going well after one day. It’s not a crazy busy week with the upcoming holiday, but it works just the same. I even got out for a 1.5 mile walk on break with a nice detour through Home Depot for air conditioning. Have to do it again tonight, assuming the weather stays dry. The foot looks fine, so I think it’s safe to say that the blister crisis is averted.

More a little later in the week.

Song of the Day: Nineteen Forever – Joe Jackson

Customer service? Yeah, about that…

Posted: June 10, 2013 in Customer service, Digestive issues, Exercise, friends, Lego, Supportive Partner Woman, Wegman's, Weight loss, Yard sale
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The lowlight of the weekend was getting the inevitable e-mail from AirTran saying that our flights had changed. I booked out of Reagan National in order to save a few bucks and because the times were perfect. Flights were nonstop and avoided the ninth circle of Hell that is Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Nothing against Atlanta, it’s probably a great city. I’d just never want to fly there because I’m sure my luggage would take a nice, scenic detour through the Kamchatka Peninsula on its way to Hotlanta.

So, the email stated that our new departing flight left DCA at 6:01 AM, then we had to change planes AND airlines in Atlanta on the way to MCO, getting in around 11:30 AM. That doubled the length of travel time, which was less than optimal. Same deal on the return flight… obligatory stop in Atlanta, leaving two hours earlier than desired, etc.

I cooled off for a day (otherwise Ensign Furious might’ve sailed up aboard his garbage scow and that’s never pretty) and opted to call them this morning. What a circus.

First of all, the menu. The Voice gives you precious few options, one of which is NOT “Speak to a live actual person”. God help you if you opt to press 0, because the Voice gets a bit testy almost snarling “Invalid Command!” and then restarting the menu as if to say, “Now, where was I before you interrupted me, you ignorant jackass?”

Eventually, if you say or press nothing, you get a real, live person. Maybe The Voice does not like to be ignored. Whatever the reason, I got a guy who was reasonably helpful. After a few minutes of phone wrangling, he was able to get us on a flight out of BWI (much closer to home) that is non-stop and while it leaves a little later than preferred, it beats the trip through Il Purgatorio.

The fun part was when he was surprised when I wanted to change both trips. Why wouldn’t I want to fly out of BWI and into DCA? I could have a car stashed in both places. Seriously? To make a long story short, they changed the flights and didn’t require a change fee. Gotta like that. See, it’s been my experience that when you actually get a live person, they are pretty eager to help.

In the good news department, I didn’t fall off the treadmill today. That’s always a plus. No real damage from Friday’s misadventures other than a sizable bruise. Could’ve been a lot worse.

The Ultimate Collector's Series X-Wing

The Ultimate Collector’s Series X-Wing

Other things accomplished this weekend was replacing the shocks on Mario the Honda. They were pretty well gone and once Jim and I got the new shocks on, well, it rode and handled like a new car. Had to road test it, so we headed off to King of Prussia and the Lego Store. Through a combination of VIP points, a timely 10% coupon and a few other discounts/credits we came home with the new Ultimate Collectors Series X-Wing. It’s shaping up to be a most excellent build. This was followed by a trip to Wegman’s. Saturday night, Supportive Partner Woman and I went to El Serrano for a charity margarita competition in which our favorite bartender, Frank, was a contestant. All told, I had about an ounce or two of real, actual booze for the first time since last year. I’m happy to report that it stayed down. Frank wound up winning and gets to go to Mexico, so kudos to Frank! After that, our friends came over to the Nerd Lair and a good time was had by all.

So, all in all, it’s a positive start to the week. Let’s hope it continues.

Song of the Day: Not the Same – Ben Folds Five

Overwhelmed

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Foot issues, friends, Mickey Miles podcast, Team AllEars, Walking, WDW Today, Weather
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I spend a lot of time pondering things while I’m sitting around. It’s easy to get discouraged and feel alone when you’re trying to make a major change in your life.

Well, I am most definitely NOT alone.

Really made me smile (and tear up)

Really made me smile (and tear up)

I posted about joining Team AllEars and doing my first 5K in January. I didn’t realize the emotional impact this would have on me. The kudos have poured in from my new teammates and team co-captains Mike & Michelle even sent me a lovely mug of flowers and a balloon which really made me smile and made me even more determined to do this.

In addition, our friends at WDW Today and the Mickey Miles podcasts were kind enough to give me a shoutout on their most recent episodes. I can’t tell you how much that means to me and really encourages me to get better as soon as possible.

I managed to go for a walk today. Not far… just up to the mailbox and back, but it felt good to be outside and get some fresh air. I’m looking forward to better weather and walking outdoors soon. I’m also looking to start swimming as soon as the incisions heal up and the doctor gives me the OK for immersion. I think that will do wonders for general core strength and there’s a pretty good chance I won’t get blisters from the water.

At any rate, Supportive Partner Woman (best sports editor EVER!) and I were talking and she asked what I thought I would name my pouch. I looked at her quizzically and she clarified by pointing out that since we already have Stubby the Wonder Toe and his evil twin brother Wayne, then my stomach pouch should get a name of its own. So, feel free to suggest  names and we’ll post a poll and see what people think.

I’ve been talking about my goals a lot. My first goal was to get the surgery done. I think I can check that off the list. My second goal was to get rid of the meds. Done. My next goal is to get a reading other than “error” on our bathroom scale. I think that will be coming soon, too. After that, I’m taking the weight loss in small increments… 10-15 pounds. I know I can do that.

At any rate, I think I might go and have some Jell-o. Or a protein shake. Or both. After all, I’m a rebel 🙂 I’m going to move to chicken broth tomorrow (want to be meatless for Good Friday).

Song of the Day: Synchronicity II – The Police

Feeling that blah feeling

Posted: January 6, 2013 in Exercise, friends, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, The Management, Weight loss
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Had a great day yesterday. Got a decent workout in, went to State College, saw a cool flick (went with Skyfall), had a good dinner, and a visit to Wegman’s. I can never complain about that.

So I woke up this morning with a little bit of gastrointestinal urpiness but I know I still need to go to the gym. I know I’ll feel better if I do, but it’s very hard to summon up the energy to go when I just kind of want to sit around until it goes away. I normally would do that, but if I do, I probably won’t make it to the gym.

Helluva bind.

I guess I need to just do it (even though I prefer New Balance to Nike) and I know that when I get there and get started, I’ll wind up feeling that much better. Funny how that works out.

Ok… More in a bit.

So I made it to the gym. Decent session… Started a little slow, but had worked up to 3.5 mph by the end of my treadmill time. Wanted to do 45 minutes, but cut short after 35 minutes by an extremely chirpy young woman jawing on her cell phone. Talking (apparently) with her boyfriend. Talking about their time together last night. When I heard the phrase “you made me come alive” (I am not making this up) I figured it was time to bail. The worst part is that I had my ear pods in, volume cranked, and I could still hear her. How loudly must she have been talking?

I love being able to yammer about my gym. It’s a really place, but some of the people who go there are well, eccentric. I have not seen Gratuitously Naked Guy in a while, but I think he has a cohort… Mostly Naked Guy. This is another wrinkly old guy who actually works out, but then wanders around the locker room wearing nothing but a jockstrap. As far as I can tell he doesn’t have mostly naked conversations with complete strangers like GNG, but who knows what mischief lurks in the heart of MNG.

It has been a decent sugar day. Went to bed reading a 128 last night, woke up with a 113. I took my insulin shot, ate a banana and about half of a pretzel roll, then headed to the gym. Took another reading when I got home and stuck an 84. Figured I could do with some protein, so I beat some eggs and threw together a tasty ham and cheese omelet. That should keep things nice and stable until lunch.

Not sure what’s on the agenda for today. Do we take down the Christmas decorations or do we say “the heck with it” and do something else? Guess I’ll have to wait and hear from The Management (aka Supportive Partner Woman).

tumblr_memp653uuS1rhvr5io1_500So, yesterday, SPW (love of Hugh Jackman!) and her friend went to see Les Miserables. They were, predictably, gushing about it. It dawns on me that maybe it’s a gender thing. I mean no disrespect to either gender, and I have never seen the stage production, but it seems that women love the movie and men, well, not so much. This review was located online and is well worth the read.

Hope you all have a great day!

Song of the Day: Gimme Your Love – McAuley Schenker Group

Currently Reading: The Black Box – Michael Connelly

Ahhh… holidays

Posted: December 22, 2012 in cold weather, family, friends, Holidays, music
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so sang the late Andy Williams.

In many ways it is. There’s usually a display of the best of humanity. Stories emerge of the layaway angel, or the anonymous donor who slips a rare coin or a large denomination bill into a Salvation Army kettle.

Sadly, though, many of these generous acts are overshadowed by the worst humanity has to offer. Even before the school shootings in Connecticut took place, Teh Interwebz was awash in stories of people brawling over women’s underwear at Victoria’s Secret storte in Sacramento or over phones at a Walmart. This has led to deaths, tramplings, even shootings in previous years. All to save that $20 off a PS3.

So, you have both the good and the bad. This blogger falls somewhere in the middle. I appreciate a good savings, but I do value life and limb over a $38 Blu-ray player. In addition, my time is far too precious to me to stand in line freezing my cojones off on Thanksgiving night.

I was trying to find a way to express the craziness of the season in a nice, neat package. I found this video:

It just kind of expresses the craziness of the season. Plus, it cracks me up.

I do love holiday music, though. I have an extensive collection of holiday music across all different genres. The song that sticks with me the most is Greg Lake’s “I Believe in Father Christmas.” It’s been criticized for allegedly being anti-Christmas, but I feel Lake is trying to speak out about what Christmas has become.

It’s more about the consumerism than the peace and forgiveness it used to be. Yes, when I was a kid I wanted nothing more than to get the cool stuff, but the older I get, it’s much more about being with family and friends and celebrating the year. The people who say that “we need to put more CHRIST in Christmas!” are not totally wrong, nor are they totally right. There are plenty of folks who celebrate a different holiday around the same time. Instead of making it all about one faith or another, make it about being the best person you can be. Do something good, make someone smile.

Make some memories, because all too often the people we make the memories with are gone too soon. If you’re estranged from a parent or sibling, swallow the pride and reach out to them. Life is too damn short for petty grudges.

I’ll close with these lyrics, because it’s very true:

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain, and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there’ll be snow at Christmas
They said there’ll be peace on earth
Hallelujah, Noel, be it heaven or hell
The Christmas you get, you deserve.

Merry Christmas, my friends.

Random thought…

Posted: November 4, 2012 in family, friends
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This might be my shortest post ever… Just wanted to say that life is fleeting. Good people go too soon. Make sure that you don’t regret not spending the time with them. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Once the beer has been consumed, the Rock Band starts…

Posted: August 19, 2012 in Cooking, friends, Wegman's
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Supportive  Partner Woman (crafter of fine mershed perderders!) and I had some company last night. It’s been awhile since we had the chance to entertain together, so it was a lot of fun. Prep work started Friday night. I whipped together a beef marinade, consisting of olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce (reduced sodium), mustard and Worcestershire sauce. SPW and I found some lovely sirloin cubes at Wegman’s during our last visit, so I threw those in the bag with the marinade and let them soak. I like marinades… not always the healthiest thing to add to the diet, but it’s a way to add a LOT of flavor and still have that stuff cook away.

We paid a visit to the Corn Wagon, which, sadly, sold out. That happens if you don’t get there early enough. What else can you do? We also stopped for beer. See, SPW is a beer snob and this can be a long drawn-out process. We came back with a variety pack from Fort Collins Brewery. We tend to like the variety packs… adds a range of selections to your beer fridge and allows you to try a bunch of stuff without dropping $40 on a full case of something you hate. Plus, Pennsylvania makes it difficult to buy just a six-pack, unless you want to go to a place that’s licensed for six packs, then you pay through the nose.

Post beer distributor, it was off to the grocery store.  We had to pick up some produce and a few other sundry items. Then it was back home to cook. SPW has been living the Julia Child dream the past week or so, so she decided to use one of Julia’s recipes to create a beef brisket dish. It looked pretty, had wonderful texture, but I found the flavor to be a little muted. That was rectified, however, when you added some au jus to it. I grilled chicken and steak skewers that turned out tasting pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

The skewers of yumminess!

Other than the aforementioned steak marinade, I made a chicken one with oil, vinegar, and a load of spices. Couldn’t find any “poultry seasoning” so I just threw a few extra pinches of this and that in the bowl. My secret ingredient was bacon salt. It gave the chicken the slightest hint of bacon-y goodness. Granted, it was easy to miss if you didn’t know it was there. Threw the skewers on the grill and let them broil away happily. Also to the skewers I added some green pepper, some Mayan sweet onion, mushrooms and finished them with grape tomato. Adding the tomato to the end of the skewer had a two-fold purpose. First of all, grilling them really makes the sweetness come out, and secondly, the tomato sticks nicely to the skewer, keeping everything where it needs to be.

Cooked them around 15 minutes. Started the temperatures pretty high to get a nice sear on the meat, then backed the heat off to finish. No complaints… and only two of them left. I did have a whoopsie, though… when putting the skewers on the serving dish, one of them went *plop* on the deck. Since my deck surface is not the cleanest place on the planet (read: pollen and whatever dust is drifting over from the new school construction site) I disregarded the five second rule and opted to pitch it.

Most of the bounty on the table… still waiting on the broccoli. Thanks, Jed, for the picture!

Dinner was a decent success. It’s always nice to cook for more than one or two, and we had enough food that no one went away hungry. It’s funny that both SPW and I like to cook, are good cooks, and don’t cook enough. This is why we’ve taken to a Sunday meal at home when she has to work and I have off (like today). Thinking I might make some of the marinated steak and pair it with a lovely piece of sockeye that we scored yesterday. Such beautiful color to that fish.

So, post dinner and business, we adjourned to the Nerd Lair. I call it the Man Cave when SPW (The Management!) isn’t around, but when it’s coed, it’s the Nerd Lair. This is where I set up our home theater, as well as our bar. It’s basically the refuge from the everyday world. We’ve put a comfy couch down there, a couple of other chairs… bar stools (there are some things that you can’t do without) and a selection of adult beverages. I can’t really drink anymore, but that doesn’t mean drinking does not occur in the Nerd Lair. I’ve created a few twists on old classic drinks… one of SPW’s favorites is what I call my left-handed Philips head screwdriver. Take your basic vodka/orange juice combo, add triple sec for even more citrus flavor and for color, add a splash of pomegranate grenadine. It helps to use a decent vodka, and the official vodka of the Nerd Lair bar is Tito’s. I know… it sounds funny, a vodka called Tito’s, but this is one of the best vodkas I ever tasted and it’s half the price of Gray Goose.

Main part of the bar

Straight on view of bar and back part.

The Nerd Lair bar is actually something of my creation. The main part started life as a cabinet I found at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. It was in some bad shape, but I stripped the old paint and refinished it. I also hand-built the tile tops for both pieces. That wasn’t fun… I’m not a great tiler, but I think they turned out looking pretty good. The back part was a custom build that I threw together last summer. We didn’t have enough space and I thought this would be a fun project. Wound up taking longer than I had hoped, but I was pretty pleased with the outcome.

The nerd Lair also has a theme… Penn State. I know it’s unfashionable to be pro-PSU in this day and age, but both SPW and I are proud alumni and regardless of the Sandusky scandal, we still got a good education and made life-long friends.

As we are wont to do with these particular friends, the Xbox got fired up, the controllers connected and we played some Lego Rock Band. It reminds me of karaoke in college. No one is a particularly good singer, but we have fun just the same. The highlight of Lego Rock Band is how it crafts some of the artists as Lego mini figures. To see a Lego Freddie Mercury is amazing, but when you add a Lego Brian May, well, that’s just awesome. There’s a Lego Bowie as well as a Lego Iggy Pop.To me, the Lego Iggy looks a lot like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, but what do I know? We switched to Beatles Rock Band before we adjorned for the evening (morning?)

I think that’s going to do it for today. Have a bunch of stuff to accomplish and limited time to do it. Today also would’ve been my dad’s 77th birthday. Not a day goes by I don’t miss him, but some days are harder than others.

Have a great day, everyone!

100 posts… whoda thunk it?

Posted: July 30, 2012 in friends
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100 posts! Thank you!

Yes, this marks my 100th post. I started this blog a little over two years ago, and after a few good months, it slid. Then it went away for about a year. I decided to refocus on it when I realized how much better the weight loss struggle went when I put it out there for the world to see.

It’s more than that, however. I have gotten so much feedback and support from you, the readers, that I’m dedicating post #100 to you. I knew that the site was getting views… there are a few comments here and there, some likes on my posts. The real clincher is when someone I know comes up out of the blue and tells me they have been reading and enjoying what I post. Or, someone drops a Facebook message to tell me to keep it up, or that I’ve inspired them to make some positive changes in their lives.

Wow.

I never dreamed I would have this kind of an impact, nor have I ever sought to be a role model, other than maybe as the poster child for what not to eat. But to be a positive inspiration to folks, friends and strangers alike, is humbling. Truth is, it’s YOU who inspire ME. I wouldn’t be anything other than a fat guy bemoaning my lot in life if it wasn’t for you. Are there days I don’t want to go to the gym, or days I want nothing more than a giant cheesesteak with a steamer trunk full of fries on the side? Yup. But knowing I’ve been setting an example makes me put down the hoagie and take a walk, or to ignore the vending machines (not all that hard ignoring the Wheel of Death) and do something different, something productive. When I don’t feel like eating right, I see Supportive Partner Woman (still The Management!) and think that I need to be around for her, and I make a better choice. When I don’t feel like hitting the gym, I see a good friend who is making some changes, despite some nagging medical issues, and I go to the gym because someone else is doing it.

Seriously, folks… I’m doing this for me, but you make me want to keep doing it. I know there are people out there reading this who are bigger than me, smaller than me, shorter, taller, lighter, darker, etc. It comes down to making a choice. Do you make changes or don’t you? If you decide to let someone else make that determination, you’re still choosing. Neal Peart said it best in Freewill with the following:

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice

So, I’m choosing this post to say thank you to everyone who’s supported me in this quest. Even if I never met you, you give me the energy and the motivation to keep going. I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring, but you’ve given me the strength to face it that I wouldn’t otherwise possess.

Thank you for that gift.

I know I’ve had a lot of self-doubt this past week… life getting in the way and all that rubbish. I’m not giving up. I can do stuff that would drive other people insane… using a pair of tweezers to place sprinkles on cookies at Christmas (ask my mother) just to make sure that all the proper cutout indentations are filled in. Why do I do that? I don’t know, but I’ve done it for years. I’ll do this, too. I have a lot to live for… even if it took me 40 years to realize that.

Let’s get through the next 100 posts together, shall we?

A magical day out…

Posted: July 22, 2012 in friends, Magic Meets, Philadelphia Zoo, Stubby the Wonder Toe, Walking
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So, yesterday, Supportive Partner Woman and I joined a group of friends and spent the day at the Philadelphia Zoo followed by dinner at Jack’s Firehouse in the Fairmount area of the city.

I should explain a little about the group. See, back in  2006, SPW (carrier of plentiful camera equipment!) and I attended something called Magic Meets. This was a group of like-minded Disney fans who got together at the Allentown Crowne Plaza to meet each other and discuss Disney. The meet, organized by Fred Block and his staff afforded us the opportunity to meet such notables in the Disney scene as Deb Wills from allears.net, Beci Mahnken from Mouse Fan Travel and the WDW Today podcast, among others.

We left with such an awesome feeling of having found a home that we were determined to volunteer the following year. We’ve continued to identify ourselves as members of the Magic Meets community, although the meet itself is on hiatus. Periodically, though, Fred organizes little get togethers, like yesterday’s festivities.

The Philadelphia Zoo bills itself as America’s oldest zoo. It’s in a portion of the city’s Fairmount Park and is home to some 1,300 animals. Some of these are rare and endangered, including lowland gorillas, various types of big cats like Amur tigers, lions and snow leopards, among other endangered species. The zoo does not cover a large land area, some 42 acres, but offers a lot to see in that small area. I was pleased because I got to see one of my favorite animals… prairie dogs. I’m not sure why I like these little rodents, but I can watch them for a long time. They just crack me up.

We spent the majority of the day touring and while I’m pleased to announce that Stubby the Wonder Toe was not damaged or blistered, my dogs were barking. It wasn’t the walking that was bothering me, it was the actually being on my feet the entire day. This caused a lot of pain in my ankles… probably from the amount of weight I’m carrying around. The only solution I know of is to continue taking off the pounds and see what happens. In the meantime, it’s going to make tomorrow’s gym session a little on the painful side.

After the zoo time ended (with penguins!), we headed over to Jack’s Firehouse, which is located near the Art Museum and directly across the street from Eastern State Penitentiary. This foreboding edifice really sets a mood, especially after dark. The firehouse itself is exactly that.It was the home of one of Philadelphia’s first paid fire companies and many of the features are still in place, ranging from the main doors to the brass pole.

SPW (eater of tasty steak!) and I have been to Jack’s on a few previous occasions and this was not the best dining experience we’ve had there. Our group, numbering some 30+ adults and children, occupied the private room upstairs and I think the fact that everyone ordered off the menu at the same time might have taxed the kitchen staff more than they are used to. SPW and I split a pulled pork appetizer that was quite tasty, but found a rather inedible hunk of bone or gristle in it. For an entrée, I chose a chicken breast with a bacon mac & cheese that again was tasty, but not quite up to snuff. SPW chose the filet mignon in which she found a giant hunk of gristle, usually unacceptable in a quality piece of meat.

The company and sheer fun of the day was able to overcome any perceived culinary shortcomings. Whenever we have a chance to hang with our good friends and make some new ones, well, that’s a good day.

I’ll let you know how the gym goes tomorrow… today is going to be a resting day.

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