Thursday, November 28, 2013

Closed For The Season...


A friend reminded me that I haven't run in quite some time now. The last time I jogged was in late September. I slightly injured my heel in August so I didn't run for a while. 

But I hit the pavement again Thanksgiving morning, it had been 65 days since my last run. 

Conventional wisdom told me to just run 5k or so, but I pushed it & managed a 5-mile run in sub-freezing weather - I think it was 26 degrees when I headed out. When I returned an hour later it had only warmed up to a balmy 28 degrees. 

My injured heel didn't bother me during my run, unfortunately that probably means the occasional discomfort I get in that area (when I'm not running) is more a result of just being old, lol. 


But not a bad run to close-out my running season, I won't be back out there until March so it was cool, going out with a bang. I've got one hell of an appetite right about now though, I'm going to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner SO much this evening. Bring-on the gravy!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Journal 2.0

I've been using a new app on my iPad & iPhone to record & track my individual journal entries (it's called - Day One). 

I've been using it for about a week now, but I've also been transferring my previously written entries into the new app at the same time. 

It's been absolutely amazing to look back at the various thoughts I once had of people & the direction my life was heading.

As I've been transferring the old entries, I've also been applying the various tagging features to sort the entries into categories like people, events, places & etc. So far I've found the feature to be pretty helpful, especially when trying to pin-point a particular journal entry or experience.

My old journals date back to September of 2004, so that's almost 10 years of fuckery I'll get to chuckle at as I bring my new journal to date. It should be a pretty entertaining experience since I very rarely re-read my entries after writing them. Already I've come across experiences that I have no recollection of, lol.

The app allows for the import of previously typed entries & also the export of app data to another medium should I so desire in the future. Based upon individual settings, the app records GPS data, weather conditions - even the song currently playing on the device you're posting from.

It's a pretty cool app, if nothing else, it's already rejuvenated my interest in keeping a regular journal - so it's totally worth the $5 I paid for it.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Check Please...

Last night I went to a singles event at a Bethesda bar & it really made me realize just how much I DON'T identify with other singles. There wasn't a woman in the place who made me want to know more, lol.

Just a bunch of chix & dix who seemed to enjoy being out on the town. To be honest, I didn't go with the intention of finding my perfect mate, just wanted to support a friend who sponsored the event. It's not like all the women there were ugly or anything like that, it's just that none seemed interesting in the least bit. 

Perhaps much of it has to do with the fact that the venue was a noisy bar - not ideal for conversation, but still... I get the impression most of these women had no personality, loud music, or not - lol. Truth be told, I'm really not a big fan of bars in general nowadays.

There's not a whole lot about standing for hours, fighting other patrons for service or $8 beers that excites the kid. A night at the bar is just a headache for me now, It's official - my youth is gone & I'm an old-fogey, lls. Suffice it to say I don't see myself attending any such events in the future, I'm good...

Personally I've generally been more successful interacting with women in cozier, more intimate environments, either that, or knowing I'll get to see a woman on a regular basis works best for me. 


There's bound to be a fair amount of misrepresentation when you've got a limited window of time to work with, so I prefer knowing that a particular moment in time won't be my only opportunity to woo a woman. I enjoy spontaneity just as much as the next man, but some things are better-off, not being left to chance.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Writer's Block...

I took a moment to write in 1 of my journals today. Though I've kept them since 2004, I very rarely write in them nowadays. 

When starting this blog back in 2010, I began writing even less in those journals. I spoke to someone a few weeks back, who mentioned writing in theirs... it got me to thinking of just how dusty my own set had become.

I certainly didn't intend for this blog to replace my journal entries, after all... I could never be quite as honest here as I am in my private memoirs, but I do try my best to present truthful depictions of the inner-thoughts that guide my day-to-day comings & goings. I only wish I'd begun to chronicle my feelings earlier in life, like in high school, or middle school even.

How cool would it be to have a comprehensive log of various people & experiences encountered in life, while not having to rely solely upon this ol' brain of mine? Dates, places, names... at 32 years of age, a great many of these sorted details have been forever lost to time. But although certain specifics no longer reside within, the lessons learned remain.

When making my very 1st journal entry years back, I can recall doing so with the mindset that someday I might be able to share this with my son or daughter. I figured it might prove helpful for those times when he or she might be doubting themselves in life. Turns-out that re-reading many of those old entries has been a huge help for ME instead, go figure...

I'm definitely going to make a more conscious effort to scribe more frequently. Hell, I may end up needing to read this stuff again at some point & for that, newer content is a must :-D

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Chit-Chat...

So I've got these 4 buddies that I've been chatting with (via group messaging app). If only I could disclose the sheer fuckery that takes place within, lol. 

We each, at the very strong urging of a mutual friend (& sister), accepted invitations to join the private chat group at some point earlier this fall. 

The on-going chatter typically begins between 6-7am (Monday thru Friday) & continues well into the evening. Group members chime-in (at their own discretion) at various points of the day to talk about absolutely anything under the sun. One never knows what the next chat topic will be, but it's sure to be funny!

Early morning commute & lunch times provide ample opportunity for each member to talk sh!t, but it's the chat sessions that take place following the close of business on weekdays that crack me up the most! Each chat group member is different & in so many ways too - it provides quite an entertaining dynamic.

The group is pretty active during the weekend as well... so we're usually up, chatting away by 10am or so. It's pretty interesting, more closely following the lives of 4 friends in such a manner. It seems the chat group reveals interesting & unknown information about a member each day. There's never a dull moment I tell ya. 

Soon we'll be selecting our secret Santa gift recipients... I'm pretty excited about that. As you can see from the photos attached to this post, we share daily (& sometimes hourly) selfie shots, sometimes there are themes for the selfies - we like to have fun with it, we can get really competitive about it too. 

The group even has bylaws governing the amount of time we can spend away from the chat, as well as the frequency of those breaks - lmao! But in all seriousness, the chat group is a pretty cool way for us all to pass the time. It's nice to keep up with several good friends whom I wouldn't otherwise be able to hang with as much.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Tis The Season, Already...

I usually try and wait until turkey day has passed before I start rolling-out the yuletide adornments, but fuck-it - the balsam fir scented candle is now lit, Christmas-themed movies have been pushed to the top of my Netflix DVD queue, holiday cards have been purchased & addressed.

I'd say that I'm all-in when it comes to having the Christmas spirit, lol. I just returned from shopping for Christmas decorations & supplies in Waldorf... it's my favorite time of the year! 

Though Thanksgiving is still 2 (full) weeks away & already I'm playing Christmas music, lol. I'm not the only one with the 'early' spirit though, each of the stores I visited was crowded with holiday shoppers, I felt much better among my people, lol. It's nice to be ahead of the curve, especially in an area as gridlocked as the DMV, now I've got less running around to do as we get closer to Christmas. 

So I guess I can focus solely on the gifts I need to purchase now that I've gotten all of those miscellaneous little purchases out of the way. Perhaps I'll do a little Black Friday shopping this year & knock-out all of my gifts in one day too!