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Home smoked salmon preceded my pan seared Ahi with cilantro-ginger vinaigrette, greens, avocado, and fresh mango salad at lunch. I don’t venture down to the Galleria area often these days, but this morning I needed to help a friend with configuring their POE gear for the real-soon-now VoIP roll-out. Sticking to my new (self-imposed) dietary guidelines is tough. Fine food and drink are integral components to the enjoyment of civilized living. If I wanted to be romantic about it, I could grow a garden and eat raw veggies from the yard. I don’t know what would be more daunting… the work to accomplish the task or dealing with the home owner’s association in my deed restricted community. The best part about getting back in the gym is how it is self-perpetuating. The more you go, the more you want to go.

Mike called today with Buzzfest tickets. I wasn’t planning on going, but it’s kinda cool that it worked out I could attend. The line-up this year (like most years) is pretty tight:

MAIN STAGE
1:35-2:05 Smile Empty Soul
2:30-3:05 Chevelle
3:30-4:05 Jet
4:30-5:10 Hinder
5:35-6:15 Papa Roach
6:45-7:30 Three Days Grace
8:00-9:05 Puddle of Mudd
9:35-10:45 Seether

SIDE STAGE
1:10-1:35 Autovein
2:05-2:30 The Vanished
3:05-3:30 The Exies
4:05-4:30 Saosin
5:10-5:35 Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
6:15-6:45 Finger Eleven
7:30-8:00 Buckcherry
9:05-9:35 Blue October

I’ll go and feel old watching all the little kiddos walk around trying to look cool. It is sobering to think I’m old enough to be, in most cases, their dad… or in some cases, their daddy. bah dum dum *ching* Hehe. I’m a big people watchers. I love it. We’re all so entertaining to observe. It’s like watching television commercials with the TV on mute. People watching at the gym is a new funtime for me. You can look at the muscleheads, the narcissists, the fashion oc’s, second-helping sweats with Twix in the pockets, the walk around with the iPod and never touch a stations, the yellers, and the exhibitionist and have such a grand time. I fall into the Napoleon Dynamite meets white trash category. I wear uncoordinated cloths that say “this is just some shit he didn’t care got dirty” and keep to myself lifting small portions… and people watch. Unless, of course, I take my glasses off in which case I can’t see anything… including the screen on the treadmill before me. One of these days I’ll get the balls to do some Lasik. Someday. For me, the quality of the gym environment is a lot like the golf course. As long as no one is pressuring me to play through, I am good to go. The one I go to is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24 Hour Fitness) and seems to be insanely busy in the prime time hours. I’ve considered getting up in the wee morning to go, but then I’d lose not only sleep, but my people watching funtime too.

The day has flown by. Busy work tends to make that happen. Toodles.