It's becoming harder and harder to do this, given I keep tacking on more of the previous ones, but this month, I actually tried to delve into The Beatles. Yes, I know what you're thinking, and I've heard it a billion times that it's impossible to like music (especially to the extent that I do) and not like The Beatles. I'm not thinking my end of the month immersion helped any, either.
I guess I just don't get the automatic throne they're given. In many cases, I swing toward the George songs, and in a lot of cases I'd rather listen to some cheesy solo George Harrison cover of "Got My Mind Set on You" (yes, I assure you it's a cover) than a lot of The Beatles songs in general written by the other two. I think I actually like John better outside of The Beatles, too. I don't know. It's just not clicking for me. I'm not sure it ever will. Something's wrong with my ears or something. Also, I don't like the Rolling Stones. I mean...I don't hate them, but I only really think they have 8-10 good songs. For these beliefs I'll always remain some sort of music geek outcast, and trying to remedy it doesn't seem to work so far, but we'll see how it shapes out down the line. The door is still open a crick.
2) Learn 12 new recipes (1/month).
Total failure...forgot to attempt even one. "I've brought shame upon my dojo."
3) Do 12 home improvements (1/month).
Dammit! Almost every weekend has been burning hot out this past month, and most of the things I need to do require a mild day (painting, window glazing, etc). Most of the indoor stuff, I plan on saving for winter. So all in all, for May, I just suck. When it's not scorching, I've been busy.
4) Try 12 new restaurants (1/month).
We actually tried a new italian place called Paliani's. We don't have Italian restaurants around here that are worth anything. The chain ones stink. The independent ones...well frankly, I know I can do better, so it's a waste of dinero. So anything new is worth a shot. I actually liked this place. I don't think they were anything special, but the food was solidly good with fresh ingredients. I'm still looking for a place that is perfection with spices and make a really good red sauce, but when I don't feel like cooking and I just want something that's solidly good without a lot of cost, I'll definitely come back there.
The search for good Italian that I can't top continues, and, honestly, it needs to stop. I'm almost a full on Irish boy here. I shouldn't be able to cook Italian food better than you guys. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
May Running Extras
Running Highlight - Not letting 5/3 River Bank Run beat me, even though I felt knocked around like a raft at sea.
May Running Extras
Running Highlight - Not letting 5/3 River Bank Run beat me, even though I felt knocked around like a raft at sea.
Running Low - Halfway through a 6 mile run on Memorial Day thinking I needed to quit and walk home.
Mileage - 113 Miles. Finally above that triple digit mark for a month.
The Legs - Honestly, they are beat to hell. I'll be okay, though. I anesthetize with alcohol. That will cure my weird nagging left ankle right?
Other - Just got my enhanced license in the mail today. I'm all legal for the Detroit Marathon. The mileage is piling on, and it's starting to seem well in reach. I'm not worried about anything other than my legs getting injured at this point. I'm hoping this nagging stuff will clear up and the gates will open wide for me to get this thing done. I'm almost starting to wish the marathon was this month or next. I'm tired of waiting, but I refuse to do some piddling local marathon to prove myself worthy of the distance. I pretty much insist on not actually going 26.2 even in practice until that actual day. So, that's why I'm going to say to the Detroit Marathon, "Move this thing to this month." Heat of June be damned, I'd fight through about anything at this point just to get this over. Even still, I bet it won't be over then. I'll probably want to do it again a few months after swearing this is the end of running Brent.
I kind of love it. I can't help it. I'm smitten with the idea of marathons already....
I'm also smitten with the fact that I'm brewing my first ever batch of beer. If all goes well, I'll be the first Oktoberfest to corner my desired market (me, my wife, and my friends). If the smell of the CO2 coming off of it is any indication, it's going to be delicious. I'll be bottling this weekend. I think that will be the make or break part of the process. That counts as a recipe, right? I was never even this persnickety and careful in the chem lab, working with things that could blow my face off. Of course that was just for grades or a company. This is for consumption. Serious stuff.
I'm also smitten with the fact that I'm brewing my first ever batch of beer. If all goes well, I'll be the first Oktoberfest to corner my desired market (me, my wife, and my friends). If the smell of the CO2 coming off of it is any indication, it's going to be delicious. I'll be bottling this weekend. I think that will be the make or break part of the process. That counts as a recipe, right? I was never even this persnickety and careful in the chem lab, working with things that could blow my face off. Of course that was just for grades or a company. This is for consumption. Serious stuff.
Spike might stop following you when he reads about the non-love for the Beatles. I may have to deter him.
ReplyDeleteWell done on the achieving the hundo club this month!!! You are definitely marathon training now!
If I keep up my running challenge, I could break 90 miles but I'd like to attempt the hundred.
ReplyDeleteAs far as music, I felt the same way about David Bowie. Then I picked up the 2 disc Greatest Hits . . . I LOVE BOWIE!
Brewing batches of beer, eh? That sounds awesome! I wanna know how that turns out... :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, but it's impossible to say my Beatles non-love is due to being underexposed. That's my mother's favorite band of all time, so from either a nature or nurture aspect (or entanglement of both) it should have been programmed into me already. It probably can't be overexposure either, because a lot of the other things my parents listened to religiously stuck.
ReplyDeleteBowie's pretty awesome. He was pretty much ignored in my parents vinyl collection, but I can remember the exact moment I first (first as far as I knew, anyway) heard him, and thought "this is good, who's this?"
my husband wants to brew his own beer sometimes. and then sometimes he talks himself out of it (buying all the random equipment). and we don't have a garage or basement so it'd make a great piece of house decor...
ReplyDeleteA lot of the initial random equipment comes in kits now. That's what I got. I kept talking myself out of the idea too, but my wife ended up buying it for me. My emotions went from super excited about getting it, to dreading starting it and not knowing what I'm doing, to forgetting about it for a few months, to anxiety over not using an expensive gift my wife got me, to being determined to finding time and the courage to try, to researching what I need to do and asking friends that brew questions, to collecting bottles and finally thinking I was ready but still procrastinating. Finally, I cut myself off, and said "No buying beer until I start to brew it." Well, that only lasted a week until the beer ran out and I started making this first batch.
ReplyDelete