A Love Affair Ended

Man down!

My culinary lust for the tangy, slathery goodness of the much maligned McRib sandwich is well documented. Since its introduction in the '80s I have harbored hankerings for that pressed slab o' mystery meat drowned in barbecue sauce sprinkled with onions and topped with a couple of pickle slices. Even the bun is something special, shaped to fit the oblong form of the faux rib rack, dusted with corn meal and top split like it's fresh from the bakery.

Today the affair ran its course. The McRib is soured in my sight, sad to say. My body, I am sure, thanks me, even if my taste buds will lament this passing. It may have something to do with the expose about the wretched recipe behind this annual special sandwich offering. And the noticeable crunch of ... bone? ... halfway through today's lunch surely played a part in my change of heart. But there must be something more. After all, just about any processed meat product out there contains a multitude of parts and petrochemicals. And we've all crunched bone or bits of God-knows-what in fast food before. Could it be that my body chemistry finally said, "Enough!"?

Maxwell Street Jazz. I like it.
Now to find wall space.

Whatever the case, I am sure there are fans who will condemn and ostracize me for this herasy. But those would be fans of the sandwich, not the writer. My fans (does that sound a little conceited? Very well...)... My friends and readers will undoubtedly cheer my decision to part company with the dreaded conconction. Oh, I'm still an omnivore, but that means I'll eat meats and veggies, not "anything and everything."

Now, having confessed the menu of my lunch, I will tell you I did run 3 miles, though I'm sure that meal (even subtracting the final bite of McRib that I just couldn't stomach) replenished whatever calories I burned. Maybe another run is in order tomorrow. I did move back outdoors given the relatively nice weather. The wind was a bit brisk, but it was mostly comfortable otherwise.

That little move netted some change, a potentially useful bike part and another cleaning cloth. I also made a point to swing through my favorite watering hole to pick up the piece of art I bought a while back at an auction to benefit the local animal shelter.     

Today's Stats
Temp: 38 degrees F
Distance: 3.14 miles
Treasure: 1 jumbo rubber band; 1 tattered washcloth; 3 pennies (1 heads, 2 tails); 1 cellphone back cover (LG, blue); 1 clamp piece from a bicycle seat; 14 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Broken - Tears for Fears
You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (Even Take the Dog for a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Short Comings) - The Faces
A Kind of Magic - Queen
Hey Jude (Anthology version) - The Beatles
Thunder Road (live) - Bruce Springsteen
Kingdom of Days - Bruce Springsteen
I'm Not Moving - Phil Collins
So What - Miles Davis
Canary in a Coalmine - The Police

It's sort of about running

OK, so life today kinda sneaked up and slapped me with reality. Nothing to get worked up about but I had to take care of some grown-up business instead of screwing around running and writing (wait, aren't those grown-up pursuits?).

But to make up for it, sorta, I'll share the video I promised months ago. It is me being tattooed in commemoration of placing first in my first ever 5K, which occurred in the summer of 2010. There's a lot of room for improvement if I had better editing software and more time to spend tweaking it instead of going to work and crap like that. Enjoy! Oh, and for all you squeamish types, there's no blood to be seen, but there is some good music and a funny bit at the end thanks to George Carlin.

Round and Round

The weather was crap today. Could I have run outdoors? You bet. I have before, in far worse conditions: cold, rain, snow, heat, wind, you name it. So save the "wussy" comments for another day when I've really earned the label. Today it was more a matter of curiosity. Grey skies, rain and a fall chill seemed the perfect excuse to finally experience a run on the old track in my building. 

I've explained before that my apartment is in the converted YMCA of yesteryear. It last saw use in its original capacity in the late 1970s or very early '80s (maybe I'll present that history lesson another time). Well, the track, with its banked curves at each end, resembling a mini-velodrome, is still useable. No longer wood surfaced, it has a hideous hodgepodge covering of old sculpted pattern carpets in orange and green, most of the sections badly worn. But it suffices.

I estimate the little track to be maybe one-quarter to one-third the length of the current YMCA track. I didn't count my laps, but it sure gets boring running in short ovals. It is pretty easy to find a rhythm, though, and lose your mind (in an "in the zone" sense) and just go. I relied on a nifty little pedometer my girls gave me a year ago for Father's Day. Sorry, girls, it took this long to try it out -- frankly, I was a little intimidated by the instructions. By its count I did almost two and a half miles. I didn't adjust the stride input, opting for the default 30 inches. I'll have to check that out. Based on time I think I may have done closer to three miles.

Whatever. I worked up a sweat, got my heart rate up, pumped some endorphins through my cranial blob and listened to some good music. I particularly enjoyed Johnny Cash's Starkville City Jail from "The Complete Live at San Quentin." The Man in Black tells a humorous story to entertain the cons as he introduces the number and the song itself is pretty funny. Give it a listen.

Today's Stats
Temp: ? degrees F (Indoors)
Distance: 2.43 miles? 5,147 steps, 292.6 calories
Weekly Total: 8.88 miles
Treasure: Nada.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Sister Golden Hair - America
Walk Between the Raindrops - James McMurtry
Like No Other Night - .38 Special
Starkville City Jail (live) - Johnny Cash
Slipstream - Jethro Tull
Big Yello Taxi (Double Espresso NRG Mix) - Joni Mitchell
Oh Girl - Paul Young
All My Loving - Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe soundtrack)
Love You To - The Beatles
I've Had Enough - Lyle Lovett

Happy Anniversary to Me!

I'm sorry, is that a little narcissistic? Self-serving? Oh well. C'est la vie! (I know but one other French phrase; no wonder I got a C -- or was it a D?) Lost & Found began a year ago, Thanksgiving Day 2010. Like the first day, today is a day I'm not running, at least not literally. I'll have a quick turkey dinner this afternoon and then hustle off to work so the readers of The Register-Mail have a newspaper tomorrow when they get back from their Black Friday shopping.

I did run yesterday, though, and ran out of time to write, so it works out. The part that doesn't work out is my memory of what I was thinking at the time, what I saw in particular that might have been worth trying to make interesting. Maybe there was nothing, in which case ... no loss.

So, for lack of anything better, I'll note the irony and personal satisfaction of finding a smashed videocassette of "Survivor" in the intersection of Seminary and Losey streets. I'm not big on "reality" TV shows. I'll admit a short-lived attraction to "Dancing With The Stars" (mostly because of the hot babes in skimpy costumes). But the rest of that crap is pretty uninteresting to me. 

Decorations in the entryway at
The Register-Mail.

It was perhaps fitting that on the day before Thanksgiving, two days before the commercially official start of Christmas, I should find a Christmas tree ornament. Time to look for a tree! A Charlie Brown twig would be about right -- I have only a couple of ornaments. As for presents ... I'll post my address later.

Today's Stats (Nov. 23)
Temp: 38 degrees F
Distance: 3.25 miles
Weekly Total: 6.45 miles
Treasure: 1 gold Christmas ornament (plastic ball); 1 "Survivor" VHS tape (smashed by traffic); 1 Transformers sticker; 2 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Nowhere to Run - Santana
Warehouse - Dave Matthews Band
You're Only Human - Billy Joel
Just The Other Side of Nowhere - John Prine and Mac Wiseman
Down To You - Joni Mitchell
Three Women - Rachel Portman (Chocolat soundtrack)
Thing Called Love - Bonnie Raitt
Ya Ya - Lee Dorsey
You're the Inspiration - Chicago (Known by D1 when she was young as "You're the Instigation")

What were you thinking?

You get the idea.

Just what runs through your mind as you're lying there in the dental chair, looking up at two masked faces, gloved hands whirling around your mouth, a bright light shining in your eyes?

1. Don't ask me any questions, please. You know I can't talk right now.

2. Hey, Doc, do you hate patients with bad breath?

3. This isn't so bad.

4. God, my jaw is getting tired.

5. Gaaak, and my mouth is so dry.

6. If I'm Dudley Moore, where's Bo Derek?

7. I wish Jennifer Aniston were my dentist.

8. Hey, Doc, have you ever slipped with that drill and shredded somebody's tongue or carved a wicked gash in a cheek?

9. I'm gonna take a photo or two with my cellphone, I hope they turn out. Hard to shoot blind.

10. How am I supposed to survive the rest of the day without chewing?

Honestly, those are all things that ran through my head this morning. A trip to the dentist isn't so bad. My grandad was a dentist, so I got used to it early. I'm sure Mom will tell you I was a big baby for a while, but I'm all grown up now. Sure, I tense and have the usual difficulties breathing and swallowing and whatnot. And my jaw does get awfully sore gawked open like that for so long. And, being in a business where everybody sees our mistakes, thus being well aware of the fallibility of humans, I do worry a wee bit that my dentist will slip with the drill some day and disfigure my handsome mug. (Then again, maybe a visible scar where my cheek was slashed would be dashing.)

Anyway, there are worse ways to start a Monday. Work, for example.

Back from the chair relatively unscathed, I headed out to redirect any pain sense to my knees and shins. What did I think about as I ran? Oh, same as above.

 Today's Stats
Temp: 47 degrees F
Distance: 3.2 miles
Treasure: 3 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Sleepwalking - Lyle Lovett
Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead - Warren Zevon
Where Has My Little Dog Gone - Discovery Toys (From the kids' collection)
KT177_3 - Wav file (You are ugly and stupid and you smell bad. Everyone thinks so.")
Have Mercy - Richard Marx (Cool video with some owies thrown in)
Poor Poor Pitiful Me (cover) - Jackson Browne
We Shall Be Free - Garth Brooks (Awesome video with my man John Elway!)
By My Side - JJ Grey & Mofro
Start the Apocalypse - Robert Kral ("Angel" TV series soundtrack)

Don't smoke 'em if ya got 'em

So, yesterday was the Great American Smokeout. How many of you quit? For good? Hopefully for good? Just for the day? Skipped the afternoon smoke break?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Well, those of you who did -- and we'll just leave it positively eternally done -- congratulations! I know it ain't easy. But who said life would be easy? Yeah, right. Nobody. Well, I don't know, maybe some schmuck out there trying to sell something. Even your mom, as much as she loves you and wants to bring you comfort, won't BS you about that.

So the Smokeout came to mind as I loped through Hawthorne Center and came upon a half-full pack of smokes discarded in the grass. At first I thought maybe somebody ditched 'em for the Smokeout, rather than chain-smoke the rest of the pack in the minutes before midnight struck. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) My immense powers of deductive reasoning later told me that the sticks were too wet to have been that fresh. I know, Monk and the chaps from "Psych" got nothin' to worry about with me on the job.

In a strange confluence of events my run took me through the Walmart parking lot where I spotted an array of security cameras on a light pole. What's so strange about that, you ask? Well, in this age of a growing Big Brother, nothing. The strange confluence is more the connection I made between the cameras and the smokes/smokers. My first thought was how much potential there is for us to be spied on by somebody (cue Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me"). 

Later I free-associated the spy cams and the Smokeout with a couple of movies: first, "The Bourne Identity," then "Cat's Eye." The first is obvious. But remember the vignette in "Cat's Eye" based on the Stephen King short story "Quitters Inc." from "Night Shift." James Woods signs up with "Quitters Inc." to kick the habit. Their methods are guaranteed. They know when you've stolen even a puff, and you'll pay. Or your family will. Yeah, I think their methods would work.

Well, enough of spies and smokes (funny, the convicted spy gets his last cigarette just before the firing squad).

Today's Stats
Temp: 39 degrees F
Distance: 5.25 miles
Weekly Total: 11.9
Treasure: 1 lavender bandana/scarf; 1 pink scunci; 1 Grizzly tobacco can; 22 cans. (The bandana will come to some use, perhaps as a dust cloth. The scunci goes on the trade table. The damned tobacco can is like the cigarette boxes I pick up. There's just got to be a use for it, if I only I can discover it.)

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
I Forgot to Remember to Forget - John Prine & Mac Wiseman
Pursuance - John Coltrane
Splendid Isolation (cover) - Pet Yorn
I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You - Alan Parsons Project
Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC (Awesome song! Just makes you feel like a rockin' badass.)
Close to the Borderline - Billy Joel
Summertime - New Kids on the Block
Fran-Dance - Mile Davis (Live at Newpot)
Wine Snacks - Ryan Adams (studio chatter live in the XM Studio)
A Dios - Santana
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
Time and Time Again - Counting Crows
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of - U2
Veracruz - Santana
Floating Back (live) - The Call
The Crazy Cries of Love - Joni Mitchell

It sure felt longer

There are a few hills here.

That's what she said. Ha! Actually I was talking about my run, which did feel longer than 3.4 miles. I guess it's like starting over. I took so much time off that even 2.75 miles seemed like a full 5K. I've been increasing it incrementally, though not necessarily with any real forethought. I don't typically map my run until after the fact. I know the distance of a couple of old routes but one is out of the way and the other is 5.25 miles, which I'm not up to yet. Call me a wuss. You won't be the first, nor the last. 

Speaking of wussdom, I catch a little flak sometimes for my taste in entertainment, particularly my semi-affinity for musicals. I know, that's a terribly sexist remark, equating musicals with wussdom and therefore femininity. Trust me, I'm no chauvinist. I'm sure there are plenty of women out there who hate musicals and I know some guys who dig 'em. (This tangent was sparked more by the "Moulin Rouge" number in today's playlist than by the word "wuss," by the way.) But my $5 says a survey of 100 people (50 men, 50 women) at random would find more women who like musicals, in general, than men. 

"Do it on a booze cruise." Sounds nice, but why is it on the
pedestrian path of a bridge over the rail yards?

But hey, I'm cool with it. So it takes a leap to accept people bursting into song at any given moment. Spider-Man is believable? Get over it. And if it's a gender-driven thing, well, if I were any more in touch with my feminine side I'd be shagging myself. (I totally stole that line from a Mil Millington book, because I love it so damned much.)

Anyway, the important thing about musicals is the music, duh. I mean, the story matters, but it's told through song. Without song, it's just a boring old play/movie. OK, maybe not boring, but certainly not as interesting as when characters express themselves through song. That's not to say everything should be a musical. But take away the background music and see how scary some horror films are. How romantic is that love scene when all you hear is panting?

OK, so I liked the short-lived "Cop Rock." But you can trust me on these recommendations:

1. Across the Universe: The music of The Beatles, career-spanning, tells the story of the '60s. Amazing.

2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Awesome '70s rock with soaring guitar and lyrics certain to make you laugh.

3. Mamma Mia!: ABBA meets a Big Fat Greek Wedding.

4. 1776: The story of American independence told in song. Brilliant!

5. Singin' in the Rain: Pretty much the greatest musical EVER, featuring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor.

Today's Stats
Temp: 36 degrees F
Distance: 3.4 miles
Weekly Total: 6.65 miles
Treasure: 1 leather work glove (right hand); 1 black hair band; 8 cans.

W.C. Handy Bridge? There's the glove
I found at lower left.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
That's How Strong My Love Is (live) - The Rolling Stones
Up & Down - Backyard Tire Fire
Mr. Roboto - Styx
Handle With Care (live) - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Dhani Harrison (Concert for George)
In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins
Catch My Disease - Ben Lee
Your Song - Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge soundtrack)
Medley: Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force - John Williams (Star Wars Episode IV)
On Any Other Day - The Police
I Wanna Be a Cowboy - Boys Don't Cry
Hymn 43 - Jethro Tull

A Few Notes

Do you like music? I do. No, that's a lie. I love music. I run to music. I work to music. I listen while I blog. I listen while I Facebook (is Facebook a verb, too?) I sleep to music. 

James McMurtry (right) at The Mill, Iowa City, Oct. 4, 2011

 Here's a funny confession: I used to hate live music. Or rather, I hated live versions of songs I knew only from studio album/radio exposure. I wanted to hear the music the way I knew it, the way it was familiar to me. Not so anymore. Maybe it was my affair with jazz that opened my ears to the joys of infinite variety in familiar songs. Not only does live music in general have more life in it, more energy, more inspiration, but I've grown to anticipate the custom tweak an artist adds to a tune on stage. Maybe he throws in a joke about a friend. Maybe she alters a place name to fit the locale. I can still see where I found that annoying at one time, but I love the newness of it.

That said, sometimes a musician gets stuck in a rut, perhaps a little road weary. The patter between numbers grows stale, the same quips and jokes from town to town. Well, I'm ready to forgive 'em that. Those folks work hard. And I'm guessing anybody below the superstar tier of the Springsteens and Joels and Beyonces is doing it for a meager paycheck. 

Local band Thrillsville revives the '80s,
Galesburg Railroad Days, June 25, 2010

 Anyway, the point here was to encourage you to check out the links in my running playlists. With rare exception, the songs are absolutely random. I may have one or two playlists loaded on the Nano but the rest is iTunes auto-fill and she's usually set on shuffle. To some extent my tastes are apparent, but bear in mind I have a vast library, much of which I am not familiar with. (I "inherited" said library, about 250GB of music and comedy; my original library was about 38GB, so I'm now pushing close to 300 gigs.) So, while my penchant for '80s "lifeless, soulless, corporate rock" -- my beloved music snob buddy's endearment -- may be apparent, or my affinity for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, much of it is just what shuffle implies: absolutely random.

Just listen ... new music awaits.

 I love being turned on to new music. My music snob friend has given me some great stuff. He nurtured my love of Warren Zevon and turned me on to the great James McMurtry. He's tried to impress upon me the importance of, or at least the greatness of, Neil Young. I'm sorta on board that train. But Kent, that's his real name, sorta, doesn't have much use for '80s music. And that's fine. Like my dad says, "if everybody liked the same thing there wouldn't be enough to go around." Well, I don't suppose that quite holds true in the digital age, but you get the idea anyway.

Hopefully the playlists I include will introduce you to some new music. Never heard of "Kiko and the Lavender Moon"? Who's this Ryan Patrick guy? Where does James McMurtry come up with his amazing tales of Americana -- "are those songs real, or do you make 'em up?"? Click on the links. Or maybe you'll see an old '80s fave (maybe it's your guilty pleasure). Click on the link. Is the video as cool as you remember? Does the cheese factor upset your lactose intolerance? Or has time given you a new appreciation for something you once disdained?

Do yourself a favor, check it out. Just forgive the ads (people gotta make money, honey).

Politics and Religion

Call it the netherworld of personal revelation. Politics and religion are the taboo subjects you just don't bring up in certain situations: okay, well, pretty much any situation outside of gatherings with longtime friends who will accept you no matter what. They're verboten verbiage in company, polite or otherwise. So why the f*** would I broach such subject matter here?

Well, first, I don't think any topic is so repulsive or dangerous that it can't be discussed rationally. Second, I like to fly in the face of convention sometimes. Third, I like to prove people's perceptions and preconceptions wrong. For example, when I tell you I voted Democrat in all but one of the primary elections I've ever cast a ballot in, you would take me for what my parents call a "yellow dog Democrat." But my liberal leanings are tempered with a strong belief in the Supreme Court's interpretation of the 2nd Amendment. I also advocate capital punishment, though my reservations grow stronger.

Religion. Religion. "Oh, there's a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning," to quote Jimmy Buffett. I attend church regularly and am active in my church. I understand the complaints leveled against "organized religion" -- which is redundant, by the way -- but I hate when people assume all churches share the same dogma and prejudice. I'd like to see those who preach tolerance practice it a little more fully.

When it comes to religion I guess I'm an optimist. The organized church may have plenty of faults, as do all individuals, but the individuals who make up the church body tend to be good souls with their hearts in the right place. At least in my experience. On the other hand, as far as politics goes, I'm an avowed cynic. With rare exception, even the most altruistic candidate tends to succumb to the lure of re-election at all costs. And few of them can really build the clout to fulfill their campaign promises.

Worse is the polarization of the political arena that's developed over the past three decades. No more is there room for compromise. To deal is to show weakness. All that matters now is who can build the largest herd to get his/ her way. Which brings us to the war between two ideas: The Tea Party vs. the Occupy movement.

Pre-Occupied

I came home the other day to find the Occupation front on my front stoop. There, in big, colorful letters of chalk on either concrete block flanking the stairs, were the words, "Occupy Galesburg" and "Occupy Everything." I've since learned the words were the work of a bright little guy of about 4 years. Little K- is a friend of mine and of one of my co-workers. His political statements were accompanied by a misplaced lament for a closed "candy store" and a hopscotch.

The thing is, though few would admit it, both movements -- the Tea Party and the Occupy X -- make some valid points. But because each has its core support in either political party, there's little or no discussion.

That's all, folks!

"That's all I have to say about that." - Forrest Gump

The preceding ramble was a stand-in because today's run really sparked nothing else. Props to a new friend for sparking that little diatribe. 

Today's Stats
Temp: 51 degrees F
Distance: 3.25 miles
Treasure: 5 cans, 3 cigarette packs.

Fun name on the trash bin outside a house
on my morning run.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Distance - Ryan McCullough
Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac
Oklahoma - The Call
Ladies Man - Joni Mitchell
Lonesome Day - Bruce Springsteen
Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
Kiko and the Lavender Moon - Los Lobos
Flying (cover) - Secret Machines (From Across the Universe soundtrack)
Time for Me to Fly - REO Speedwagon

Happy Veterans Day (belated)

To all the veterans I know and those I don’t, thank you. I appreciate what you do and wish I had done it as well. I was on the verge. I dreamed of a Navy career when I was in high school and my parents prodded and persuaded me to go to college first. I’m glad I did. I loved college life. But I regret not serving in the military.

No pix from Friday's run, but this 9/11
memorial in Grand Island, Neb., seems
somewhat fitting for Veterans Day.

I had Cold War dreams back then. It may be juvenile, immature, idiotic, but I was lured by pop culture and other influences, from “Stripes” to “Taps” to “Wargames” to James Bond and more, to want to be a participant in the Cold War, be it through military service or as a secret agent. Oh, boyhood dreams. You can’t imagine the thrill I experienced making my way through the Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., about five years ago.

The threat of nuclear war seemed overblown and unreal to me. It was more a catalyst to unnecessary tensions, job security for the military and covert operatives. I know that’s a simplistic view, but I was a young man more concerned with how to defeat a demon overlord and rake in the treasure of whatever dungeon my comrades and I were adventuring through at the time.

Anyway, I’m a bit rushed for time so let me just say this. Not all military actions are a response to genuine threats to democracy in America. But military personnel sign up for a job that puts them at risk and under direction of a massive chain of command. Whether you agree with their given mission, they deserve our thanks for stepping up to the task.

Read it, live it!

Groovy bike rack in City Park,
Fort Collins, Colorado.

Today's Stats (actually 11/11/11)

Temp: 44 degrees F

Distance: 2.75 miles

Weekly Total: 5.5 miles

Treasure: 10 cans; 1 cigarette pack (Marlboro reds).

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

I Want Your Sex (Part2) - George Michael

I'm Afraid of Americans - David Bowie

An Innocent Man - Billy Joel

Teardrops Will Fall - John Mellencamp

Phoenix Song - Harry & The Potters

Relax (New York Mix) - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Note: I like the opposing bookends that open and close this playlist. It was random but fitting.

It's Windsday!

Flurries flirt with the rain. Leaves furl and flutter past. This is fall. Not the fanciful autumn of memories, colored in warm earth tones, crisp air inviting inklings of a warm cup of cocoa or coffee, but the blustery, biting harbinger of winter. Oh, the same palette surrounds, and beauty is not absent. But it is muted by the decay brought on by rain and grey skies. The gutters are still filled with leaves, but they're sopping and floating, clogging drainage grates. The bloated carcass of a cat lies derelict in a puddle. Not much farther along the street sweeper has strung another lifeless animal's remains across the bricks.

This is fall. Is it any wonder we see so much seasonal depression? Is it any wonder so many older folks head south or southwest for warmer climes in the coming weeks? Well, perhaps not, but it's all part of the cycle of life. To every thing...

The temperature dropped 4 degrees from the time I first checked as I lay in bed contemplating how to roust myself until the time I finally walked out the door to hit the streets. That's nasty! And as I approached the glass doors of the vestibule in my building I could see distinct white blobs whirling in the wind. The radio guys said to expect showers this morning; there was no mention of flurries. Thanks, God, for always keeping it interesting.

I guess I should comment on a couple of today's treasures. It was a joy to get back at it and to not come up empty handed after such a long hiatus. I struck gold early as I passed my church and spotted a sheet of party stickers (Happy Birthday banner, clown, balloons, candles) safely sealed in the original plastic packaging, though a couple of stickers had been removed. I may still head back to Broad Street for the bag of cans on the curb with someone's garbage. If it's all cans it'll be a good haul; plus I hate to see recyclables go in the trash. I altered my route ever so slightly to snag a pair of slacks I saw in the gutter on Seminary Street near Dudley only yesterday. My intuition says someone will claim them from the share table downstairs. Freecycling, baby! Finally, here's hoping there's a little balance on the Pizza Hut gift card. So far I'm 50/50 on those.

Today's Stats
Temp: 37 degrees F
Distance: 2.7 miles
Treasure: 1 pair black slacks, 32x32, by George; 1 Pizza Hut card; 1 sheet of party stickers (2 used); 8 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
I Once Loved a Lad - Margaret Davis (Former Galesburg girl)
Lucky Girl - Joni Mitchell
Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias - The Beatles
A Day in the Life - The Beatles
Play it All Night Long (Live) - Warren Zevon (This is the version I listened to)
More Than a Feeling - Boston
Hold On Loosely - .38 Special
I Want Your Sex (Part 1) - George Michael

Beer and balls: That's Colorado!

Disclaimer: It's late and I have more driving to do tomorrow. This entry will be photo heavy with more words later when I am ensconced at home without a busy day ahead of me.

So, I returned to the West for a little R&R this week. Or should I make that B&B? My friend and former co-worker Kelly lives in the beautiful city of Fort Collins in northern Colorado and she kindly offered her guest room to keep my expenses down. Kelly doesn't live in Fort Collins exactly but in a suburb called Severance. Talk about your true bedroom community: Severance has two banks, two bars, two schools, a drive-up liquor store and a convenience store/gas station. Other than that, it's all houses; sleep in Severance, work in the Fort.

In brief, before I just dump photos on you, let me say the highlights of my trip (aside from seeing a friend) were:

1. New Belgium Brewery tour - I want to work there! Fort Collins is an amazingly bike-friendly community and New Belgium is the city's poster child business for bike advocacy. The brewery was founded by a cyclist and there's a great story about the connection between bikes and New Belgium beer. Take the tour and you'll hear it right off the bat.

2. Estes Park - Our jaunt to the touristy Estes Park was dampened only slightly by the fact that most of the shops were closed. It was pushing 5 o'clock, but more importantly, we learned that many of the shops close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after October. D'oh! But that allowed us to focus on the herd of elk we saw as we left town, after a brief visit to the Stanley Hotel, inspiration for Stephen King's "The Shining." As a fan of horror, I was thrilled to have a photo taken there and to make a brief self-guided tour. And they have some of the coolest mementos in the gift shop. We were also blessed with a small herd of bighorn sheep along the roadside on the drive up to Estes.

3. Rocky Mountain Oysters at Bruce's - Kelly assures me the bull balls from Bruce's are famous state-wide. From the story of "Rocky Mountain Oysters ... a delicacy of the West" on the cover of the menu: "Through all the years, however, it appears that one of hte primary reasons for the staying power of this place is the Rocky Mountain Oysters. People from all walks of life enjoy their experience here. College students, often seated right next to doctors and lawyers, devour massive amounts of Rocky Mountain Oysters on 'All You Can Eat' nights. ... Without a doubt, it is Bruce's Bar that has helped put Severance on the map. This fact was reinforced when a sign was erected in the center of town, which bears the slogan 'Town of Severance--Where the Geese Fly and the Bulls Cry.'"

Yes, I devoured a basket and a half. I'm told a lot of folks will consume two or three baskets full. In my defense, I was pretty full from all the free samples at New Belgium. Honestly, the cuisine was delish, though I was a little taken aback to discover they weren't round. Those testicles have been pounded to tenderize the meat. Ouch! Personally, though, I'd serve 'em up in a brown paper bag, just for kicks.

There you have it, Fort Collins in a nut shell. No pun intended.

That's the Stanley (the Overlook in "The Shining.")

Our tour guide Suzie "Q" demostrates the proper way
to pour. We all got to try our hand at it.

The goal: a nice two-finger head.

Suzie doled out samples of Ranger, New Belgium's IPA. The
samples were precursor to a view of the bottling line. I
guessed closest (800) to the number of bottles filled per
minute (720) on the new line, winning me a fresh bottle of
Ranger. We received our glasses at 3:58 p.m.; the bottles
were filled at 3:21 p.m. That is fresh beer!