Good afternoon, loyal readers!
Yesterday was a fucking awesome day. I won the lottery before I even woke up.
Well, not exactly. But the return of my hard-earned money from last year into my bank account - via the Internal Revenue Service - forced out my incomprehensibly bitter mood from some events of the weekend. Sudden injections of large amounts of cash have that kind of effect. So, with all of you in mind, I headed out to National Camera Exchange with a nice wad of cash - and I was the first person through the door on what, to most, seemed to be a nondescript Wednesday afternoon. I left a half hour later with a notably smaller wad of cash and a slick Canon PowerShot SX200. It has crackin' optical zoom capabilities and the ability to run in a pure "manual" mode, as well as aperture-priority and shutter speed-priority modes. While I will reap the greatest benefits of the purchase, I plan on passing some of those along to YOU as well.
Large chunks of my life - in some cases, YEARS at a time, have passed by with no photographic documentation and that will no longer be the case. FOREVER.
Sadly, this was all I could think about yesterday, when my energy might have been focused better on things like work. And more work. A frustrating exercise over the last week or so due to circumstances far beyond my control. Still, the cash injection provided a second wind of sorts and I can find myself keeping my head down and killing it in earnest again. I was unsure if I'd ever reach that point after the peak of my frustrations, so those of you who have expressed your concern over my faltering mood can again sleep easily. It's all good. Those of you coming to this space hoping for the juicy details of the work situation will be met with disappointment and vagaries.
After the business portion of Wednesday (on a side note, Wednesday plays the same role in my life as Mondays do in many of yours) was over, I met up with some friends/co-workers at Chianti Grill in Roseville. They opened a new location in the last few months and it happens to be walking distance from Unit Five Global Headquarters, and it was about time I checked it out.
The interior of the bar and lounge areas are jaw-dropping compared to any place in the area. It was a little late for me to be testing the food, but if the chefs can cash the checks the architects have written... this place will be successful for years.
As for the crowd? Well, the crowd was mostly our group by the time I had gotten there but there were a few interesting characters. Pictured on the left is "John" and on the right is "Big Steve". For the curious, I don't know the origins of his nickname... but I can assure you they aren't prison-related.
My experiences in the service industry tell me that when you get two older gents relaxing at a bar, they tend to react negatively to large groups of youthful, exuberant individuals. These fellas were the exact opposite, to my surprise. They enjoyed the company our motley crew kept in the bar area. As some of you may know, some of our work gatherings have had components of epic fail and epic win in equal measure. Rarely have we been treated as nicely by our bar area cohabitants as on this evening.
Steve ponied up for a shot of bourbon for me, as long as I would talk to him about bourbon in general. Well... I'm a gin guy and I don't know fuck-all about bourbon because I don't like it. My sense of adventure isn't so small as to deny an offering of a free shot of booze. So I took him up on his offer and presented some bullshit about Knob Creek being my favorite bourbon I've ever tried. I don't even know if the shit is whiskey or bourbon but it didn't matter. Steve laughed in my face and mocked my taste in alcohol before offering me a shot of this...
Above: Basil Hayden's 8-Year. My new favorite bourbon, for whatever it means.
This stuff was buttery, smooth, and had a nice aftertaste that lingered long without being too overpowering at any one point. I promptly ordered another round in the interest of returning the favor. Steve, being awesome, obliged.
WARNING: SPORT RELATED CONTENT FOLLOWS!
Having accomplished my goal of obtaining a good celebratory buzz to cap off a fantastic day, I headed back to HQ with Ryan - the other half of Unit Five Global Headquarters. We completed the first 12 picks of our yearly NFL mock draft. We have two more days to knock out the other 20 picks with each one taking progressively more time than the last. I know not what horrible fate will befall us if we don't complete this task by 3pm on Saturday, when the yearly celebration of sporting hope renewed begins in earnest. All I know is we ALWAYS finish the mock before the draft starts. My stubborn nature tells me this year will ultimately be no different.
As for baseball, I've decided on the Arizona Diamondbacks as my adopted National League team for the year. Rip stole the Cincinnati Reds with the first pick, which he earned only through his own initiative. Killa went with the Florida Marlins and Nelly settled on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Why anyone would willingly root for such a shit team is beyond my comprehension, but the hat he purchased in honor of his selection will serve its purpose beautifully. Currently, Killa has picked the best team by leaps and bounds. The Marlins have been destroying all comers. The law of averages will rear its foul head eventually, though, and things will draw more level. Except for the Pirates... they will probably suck until I die.
Finally, soccer season in Minnesota is fast approaching. I'm playing on a co-ed team in Blaine this summer that meets on Sunday nights - my favorite night of the week to begin with. The team is looking for a select few more members - especially those with two X-chromosomes. If anyone is interested in joining, let me know. The team is filled with a genuinely nice crowd and if you fit that mold, you're welcome to join us.
COMING SOON:
I have a wild hair up my ass to go out this weekend and take some pictures, and I'll share them with you in this space when I do. Other topics on the docket are karma, the art and importance of proper training, and economic survival tips for tough times. I'd be happy to tackle any other project you're willing to hurl at me as well.
TRACK OF THE DAY: "Like the Rest of Us" - Atmosphere
"... you gotta let people be hypocrites
count your blessings, and mind your businesses."
1 comment:
The Diamondbacks aren't a bad pick, but I hope you get a good hat. Sometimes their clothes are pretty garish.
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