Gratitude – 4/2/2012

Happy to have begun researching more nutritional information in earnest; been bonking fairly frequently as of late and want to see if I can alleviate that with more intentional dietary habits. Found a very helpful site where I’m becoming more familiar with the concept of glycemic load (GL). GL takes glycemic index a bit further to make it more functional.

I’m apparently also the steward of a budding wildlife refuge in my backyard. In addition to the plethora of  lawn rats, I’ve discovered a substantial family of bunnies living under my backyard deck. Admittedly, they’re kinda cute, even the one with half it’s left ear missing and some other significant injury causing it to wobble around the backyard while grazing. What I am less excited about is the woodchuck, whom I’ve dubbed ‘Porky the marmot’. At least I hope there’s only one. Given my history with groundhogs, I’m sure it has friends. Lots of friends.

'Lefty' the bunny

'Lefty' the bunny

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Gratitude – 4/1/2012

Got some additional work done on my house and was grateful to be able to hang out with the guys and get some work done on Bobby’s house.

Bobby, Dre', and Norm demo'ing the kitchen wall

Bobby, Dre', and Norm demo'ing the kitchen wall

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Gratitude – 3/31/2012

Grateful to get lots more work done on my house. Finished all the attic work with stringer and joist support installation, patched the main bath floor, removed a bit more drywall, and framed the new walk-in-closet wall. After a grill out at The Ranch, enjoyed a low-key movie night with friends, watching The Rum Diary.

Nate working on subfloor patching in master bath

Nate working on subfloor patching in master bath

Ian looking for the right size wrench

Ian looking for the right size wrench

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Gratitude – 3/30/2012

Grateful for a fun night with the fellas. Nate came down to help out for the weekend. We got fish fry from Toby’s Supper Club (unimpressive) and Norm made some old fashioneds. For dessert, we settled into video games with two of the original three GDFB’s and all three second-generation GDFB’s.

Settling in to enjoy our fish fry to go

Settling in to enjoy our fish fry to go

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Gratitude – 3/29/2012

Grateful to have XM radio back in my car. I liked it a lot when I got my car last summer but didn’t think it was necessarily worth the monthly fee and let it lapse. Sirius sent me a great deal to lure me back for six months so it’s definitely worth it in the short term. Enjoyed a mini-road trip with Norm to The Shoe Box to get his engineer boots and then to Deerfield to get my grill out of storage.

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Gratitude – 3/28/2012

Grateful that my short but consistent efforts in becoming a better guitar player are are yielding noticeable results. Norm and I had a productive LLTAM recording session this evening.

Also had a pleasurable walk on a new route through a conservancy that brought back fond memories of walks with with my mom identifying trees and plants. Ginny was quite fond of may apples and she’d have been shocked to see them sprouting in March!

May Apples sprouting in March

May Apples sprouting in March

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Gratitude – 3/27/2012

Happy birthday shout out to my bestie and and one of the finest human beings on the planet, Norm!

Though I have never been much of a dancer and up until fairly recently have had minimal exposure to dance, I am grateful to enhance my understanding and appreciation for dance and movement. Had excellent seats to see the amazing Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company at Overture this evening. Some of the more abstract pieces I didn’t necessarily relate to, but several were quite engaging. Also benefited greatly from the pre-show discussion featuring the adorable Chris Walker.

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Gratitude – 3/26/2012

Grateful for a quiet and productive evening around the house, mostly on the couch with my laptop.

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Gratitude – 3/25/2012

Grateful for two completely different sets of enriching social experiences today, though both (unsurprisingly) centered around food. Brunch with new friends at Sardine this morning and discussions of responsible urban development and nutrition. The afternoon was with old friends discussing woodworking, meat smoking, endurance-focused athletic events, and moonshine.

Also watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (US version). Not for everyone, but I thought it was a great film. It challenged me in several ways.

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Gratitude – 3/24/2012

Grateful for a recovery day after last night’s bar tending extravaganza. Finished Season 1 of Portlandia. Also enjoyed Mary Kay Neumann’s art reception at PilateSpa and dinner at Angelo’s with friends.

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