Things I did today

I might have left the bar a little later than I excepted last night, and slept in more than usual today. I certainly have no desire to go to the gym. I still made it, but it wasn't nearly as easy as when I go straight from work. Coffee was delayed a bit, then I didn't eat lunch until 1pm. But, I got myself up and going, and went to the gym for a very successful legs and core routine. I even added another set of 10 situps to bring my total for the exercise at 40 situps. I was really pleased to find the first set easy and the second set only slightly hard at the end. I did have to put effort in the last half of both the third and fourth sets. After the gym, I made one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes , and doubled the spices and amount of jalapeno peppers. Hopefully it isn't overpowering! Afterward, I'll read some more of Mistakes Were Made, a book I got for Christmas (thanks, Todd!) Tomorrow will be arms day, then on the 30th I'll just do cardio and stretches,

Even though the temperature was two degrees warmer today than yesterday, I didn't want to end the challenge just going for slightly strenuous walks. Went to the gym and did my arm and chest routine, and followed it up with some stretching. This morning, I tried a new recipe that my brother told me about over a year ago. It was delicious, but subtle. I ended up adding more spices to it, and really enjoyed the meal. I went downtown to Haymaker for their Pop Up Holiday and had a few drinks there. It was decorated and even had themed cocktails. I had the Gingerbread Flip - the first time I'd drank egg. Not sure it's something I'd really want to repeat. It was really tempting to get the SanTaRex mug (on the right) , but at $18 before tax, I decided it wasn't THAT special. After the Gingerbread Flip, I decided to stick to a more normal drink and opted for a Manhattan. On my way home, I enjoyed driving near a few houses that always put up great Christmas li

Today was an exceptionally nice day in Raleigh. The high was 64 degrees and it was sunny with a very light breeze. Decided to skip the gym after having lunch with a friend of mine who was visiting from Colorado. I took a rather medium intensity greenway trail for 2 miles instead of heading to the gym, and think that was the right choice. It was nice to be outside doing something other than strength machines for the last 24 days. I'll head back to the gym tomorrow. It was great visiting one of my friends for lunch. Wonderful hearing what she's been doing over on that side of the country and I got to tell her about my ridiculous adventures since we'd seen each other last. We talked about our current jobs, winter sports (snowshoeing), summer sports (running), end of life care, and finances. I reconsidered my January challenge and don't believe I'll be doing a Dry challenge. I don't have a problem with alcohol, and was reacting to the requirement of drinking a g

Merry Christmas! I had a nice time catching up with a few friends via text, and later went to another friend's house for board games and card games. Tomorrow, I'll be visiting with a friend who is in town from Colorado and catching up with what's going on in her life. I got some books and a dice game, a scarf and some spices, and gift card. I'm looking forward to digging into The Food Lab with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. It discusses the science of cooking, and that's something I'm very interested in! I might have to redo my challenges. I might still do Dry January. I might follow some recipes in the Food Lab book. One of my friends suggested I take a picture every day to post. It does seem odd to not have a picture for this one, because Advent is over, and all the wine and cheese have been consumed. Last night, I attended Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church for their 7pm service. They have a 4pm family friendly service, but I decided to go for the more calmer op

Today was a bit of a rush! Got up at 7:30, showered, started laundry, went to Atlantic Garden Center to pick up a Christmas present for a couple of friends of mine, dropped it off, got gasoline, and then headed to the gym. Did a bit of grocery shopping, finished up the laundry, and in about an hour, I'm going to a church for their Christmas Eve service. Just in case I'm tired afterward, I decided to do my very last wine and cheese for Advent! It's Prosecco! Smells not too dry, but not very sweet. It tastes semi sweet, very bubbly, with a nice pear taste. Wow, it is very tasty! I would buy a bottle of this, quite happily! The description is "Delicate aromas of brioche, hazelnuts and apple lead to a crisp, refreshing palate. Lovely on its own or served with nibbles or light dishes." White cheddar. I'm surprised they didn't pair it with a milder cheese. This tastes sharp and kind of dry. There isn't a lot of complexity and it doesn't add t

Went to work, and had a full day of production support, windows updates on a dev server, deployments to lower level servers, only one meeting, then I went to the gym and did the arm and chest routine, went to Barnes and Noble for an hour, then met up with another friend for beer afterward Cabernet Sauvignon! It smells complex and full bodied, and lightly of cherry. It certainly tastes like cherry, and is quite nice. It doesn't taste that complex, just a nice and drinkable Cab. Pretty darn mellow. The description states "Soft and mellow with dark fruity aromas. Intense fruit flavors of blackcurrant, plum and a hint of spice combine to create a fresh, perfectly balanced wine." I'm not sure where I got the cherry taste, then. Do blackcurrants taste like cherries? It is a very nice wine, and I would certainly buy a bottle of this for less than 15 dollars. Edam ! More Havarti++! I tried to find Edam at the grocery store recently, and the clerk pointed me to the Go

Another excellent day. Went to the gym for my leg and core routine, then went out to a new taco place for lunch. It doesn't beat my other favorite Mexican restaurants, so while it wasn't bad, I have no desire to return. I then stopped in the brand new, very busy, and extremely large Wegman's for some cheese and meat and crackers to share as I was meeting a friend of mine and their sibling for a friendly discussion about politics, impeachment, math vs art, contemporary Christian music, a few excellent YouTube videos, and more conversation. But, now it's wine and cheese time. The Shiraz is back! It... is an average red wine. It's only slightly more complex than a red blend. Other than that, there isn't much to say about it. It doesn't have much of an aroma. Or taste. Luckily we have a lovely cheese to pair with it. Aldi paired the Tomato and Olive Gouda with it, probably to give it some character. The cheese was delicious again, and tasted of pizza