Sometimes I'm tired, sometimes I'm shot

"Sometimes I don't know how much more I've got. ... Darlin', I don't know why I go to extremes."

Buck and Bulldog

Billy didn't know and neither do I. Not sure if tonight's run was a good idea or not. Maybe. Right leg is still sore (hip, butt, knee). But I needed the high. Despite the pain (and it wasn't terrible) it really felt good to run. Before Friday I had skipped nearly a week and I just didn't feel right. Honestly, I wasn't sure I was going to do it today. Made a trip to Moline to visit a friend who works at the Rock Island Argus/Moline Dispatch. As luck would have it he had the day off, too, so we met at the paper downtown, where he introduced me to his girlfriend and his editor and a couple of other people. One of the front office staff thought we looked pretty cute (read silly, I think) in our ear-flap hats, and suggested we take a picture. So I did.

Click on photo to enlarge; the sticker
in lower right warns that taking more
papers than you paid for could land
you in the pokey for a year.

Then it was off to lunch. Running through a laundry list of options: Mexican, Chinese, cafe-style, etc., we ended up at TGI Fridays. Never been there before and I wasn't impressed. The food was decent enough and I liked the fun decor but it wasn't anything to write home about, which is why I'm writing from home to you about it. I think I prefer Applebee's or Chili's when it comes to such places. Whatevs. Chicken strips were hot and tasty, fries were nondescript, Cherry Coke was Cherry Coke (no Mountain Dew). Steve paid (thanks, buddy).

At the casino

After lunch (thanks again, Bulldog), I said I wanted to do a little gambling. We made our way to Jumer's inland hotel and casino. Now, I haven't been to a casino in years. Fact is, I've been only once before (won $60 that time). Frankly I find the experience a little overwhelming and confusing. I'm sure it's totally uncool and grandpa-like to play the slots instead of blackjack or poker or roulette, but I don't want to have to interact with anyone, especially when I'm ignorant of casino protocols and such. So I stick to the silly slots, which actually confuse me to no end. I mean, I get the basic ones, though it bugs me that the classic handle is kind of an afterthought; they lull you into pushing the buttons, which takes some of the fun out of it. But so many of the machines, which all have cute or sexy or playful names that seemingly have no connection to gambling, have multiple win lines and multi-credit bets and I was lost. So I just fed bills in and pushed buttons. Now I'm $20 poorer, but I had a little fun and I coulda won big!

So the night run was really almost an afterthought. Maybe I should have skipped it and spared the leg, but I didn't want anybody calling me Rob Quitler. For the record, I think anybody questioning Jay Cutler's toughness and heart is a bozo and should try getting drilled into the turf 50 times over the course of five months and see how tough you feel. And I'm not even a Bears fan.

Today's Stats

Temp: 21 degrees F

Distance: 3 miles

Treasure: Six cans (plus one novelty basketball from before run while running errands - found in the Big Lots parking lot).

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

Fool in the Rain - Led Zeppelin

I Go to Extremes - Billy Joel

Shameless - Billy Joel

Black & White People - Matchbox Twenty

Fragile - Sting

Excitable Boy - Warren Zevon

You Shook Me - Led Zeppelin

Reno - Bruce Springsteen