Just now learning the blog etiquette. My lovely and cuddly wife informs me that I need to commit to entries on a regular basis.  So I guess I can claim that as an excuse for the suffering quality to ensue.  But I do have a point to this entry.  Where do I begin...
Now I'm NOT a colossal tv watcher.  I do, however, enjoy the occasional show on History channel or Animal planet, Indie, Comedy Cent. etc. to wind down the standard frustrating, soul-crushing day.  And since I have decided that turning to alcohol to numb my brain and dull the emotional scars is counterproductive, I often turn on the wonder-box and stare vacuously into the pretty colored lights.  So it came as some surprise to me a few evenings ago that my exorbitantly priced cable company (the name which, though I refuse to use here specifically, coincidentally rhymes with the term, "bomb blast")* rejected my requests to learn about the process by which arctic cannibals caramelize their victims.  I learned this by turning to Discovery channel only to have a small window appear on a blank screen informing me that I could go fuck myself.  It didn't really say that, but I probably would have preferred, as said little window advised me to call the cable company, a phone adventure that I would not thrust or even wish upon my fiercest foe.
*BTW, if that reference to explosives gets me hogtied and duct-taped at Guantanamo, tell my wife and daughter i love them.  Everyone else can bounce, nothing personal.
So, back to the cable.  This is a similar situation I had with the same company 10 months ago.  We had a service plan with an unvarying selection of channels for over 12 years.  Then, without any annoyingly convenient notification or respectful explanation, roughly 30% of our channels were cut. 30%!!!  So I called and called until I reached a human (strictly by scientific definition), harped red-faced about a violation of contract, and threatened an anti-trust lawsuit bringing to bare all my resources as a licensed and really shitty (I left that part out) attorney.  I'm pacing the living room and waving papers around...I don't know why because they obviously can't see me...or maybe...never mind.  After the laughter subsided, I agreed to sign up for a new plan that included a variety of channels that approximated my prior package...at an obviously increased monthly fee.  I thanked them profusely and gushed about the consideration they showed for not charging me for the phone call.
But now I am right back where I was 10 months ago.  So here is my suspision.  Cable companies periodically eliminate and amend channel packages so that customers, having become accustomed the certain combinations, have to switch to a package that, presumably and invariably, costs more.  They do this periodically when shareholders start getting itchy or the economy makes that "KERPLUNK" sound.  Unfortunately, I have no solution, other than to cease consuming the wet fodder that they're peddling.  hmmm
On second thought, maybe I should send them some cranberry muffins as a thank you.

shopping

Had a pretty good workout today at the YMCA.  Recovery is slower, increased capacity lagging...I'm beginning to realize I'm one of the old guys at the gym.  I guess this means I can be the one hanging my junk in the sink while shaving my face after a good work out.  That really happens...a lot.  REALLY Why do that?  That old sink HAS to be cold! and if anyone wants to see that they can dial up some lemon porn.

So I can't train for the Best Buddies Challenge exclusively in the gym.  I know this.  I know eventually I'm gonna have to hit the street. But I only have a mountain and a hybrid bike and I can't do 100 miles on either of those without causing irreparable damage to my nether regions.  So the newest adventure is trying to maximize the road bike I can get for my meager budget.  (HINT HINT...WIRE ME LOTS OF CASH, jk) It's either that or sell my drum set, which hurts to consider despite the fact that I've played on it a total of three times in the past year, and am almost as bad as Ringo Starr.  But as soon as I let it go, AC/DC will stop by the house for tea and crumpets and I won't be able to invite them into the man-cave to jam.   It was so embarrassing the last time that happened, and I swore never to let it happen again.

I've agreed to some selective product placement to help offset the bike costs, so please read on as I sit back and enjoy this frosty refreshing Gatorade.

They say that good sleep is one of the best things for someone focusing on their physical health, so maybe I should shut-up and go to bed.  and it can't hurt my writing either.

you see, this is the quality of blog you get when you're pressured to produce. Directionless.  hopefully my bike riding will not follow suit.

Training for 100 mile bike ride?

Ok.  This whole blog idea started not too long ago...OK,yesterday in fact...when I signed up for the Best Buddies Challenge, which is a 100 mile bike ride from Boston to Cape Cod.  The plan is to solicit donations from friends and family (and potentially strangers, therein lies the wrinkle), standard for this type of fundraising.  The mistake came in enlisting my wonderful wife, Liz, to assist in the fundraising effort and ideas.  She said, for one, I should start a blog, to share my daily training and efforts with those who might be interested (obviously, the very bored, because I am very boring).  I, as I'm prone to do, veered onto a completely different path with my focus of the blog.  And you can blame Liz for this subjecting of the digital world to my verbal drooling.  I now will focus on whatever I want...beginning with sharing Liz's suggestions for fundraising, First, hosting an open-mic night here in Roslindale.  This sounds like a great idea, but for the effort it entails.  You see, despite the anticipated 100 mile bike ride, I am a lazy man.  And this sounds like a LOT of work just to get a bunch of musicians (not known for their capacity for wealth accumulation) to come out, play a few songs, smoke a few cigarettes and throw in their hard earned $5.
By the way, I think the word "smike," which doesn't actually exist, should be the future tense of "smoke," for what it's worth (even less than the $5 from the local musician).
The next idea was for me to have a bake sale.  Now I'm not real uptight about gender rolls here.  I am primary caregiver for my daughter, the inspiration for my involvement int he Best Buddies Challenge.  I do most of the cooking and cleaning (albeit poorly) in our house.  I have even been spotted in the "Spotted in Boston" section of the Globe filling drinks and folding laundry.  But I would prefer maintaining the shred of my remaining dignity, and not peddle $2 brownies in the hopes of selling the 10,000 sufficient to make it worth the effort.
Then there was the garage sale idea.  Like I'm gonna be able to sell enough of my old socks to cover my $1550 fundraising goal.  enough said.
I'm going to the gym.  I'll tell you how that worked out as soon as the ibuprofen kicks in.