Eatin' hot chicken and climbin' a ladder and doin' some stuff and bein' a guy...

I have not been blogging lately, and I will try to fix that. I haven't been doing much of anything really outside of liquidating my belongings in order to pay bills and "get ahead" as they say. Trust me, it's all too exciting to put into a typed document for all the world (or my dedicated 5 readers) to see. The compelling nature of such subject matter could possibly explode the eyes or melt one's face. So, away from that topic, I will attempt to stay.

(Though this is slightly related) I have decided that being totally poor has caused Ashley and I to allow our home to become neglected in so many ways that I have lost count. A while back, our basement was flooding to varying levels nearly every time we got a good rain, which we eventually realized was mostly due to the gutters being full and overflowing. Seems like an easy fix, yes? Kinda. My house is frickin' tall. Really, really tall. So, way back when, I investigated an estimate to have someone who is not afraid of climbing to the top of an almost totally extended 40-foot ladder to come and take care of business. $300 was about the average, which I did not have. A couple of years later, the gutters were still full, and I still did not have $300. So, I bit the bullet.

I borrowed a ladder from my neighbor across the street, asked my other neighbor to hold it, and up I climbed. Over two days, I totally cleaned out little trees and all sorts of debris that were compacted in my gutters, sprayed out the downspouts with my hose, and even unclogged a stubborn downspout with a snake meant for unstopping severe plumbing clogs. Complete total success. Gutters flowing = hopefully dry basement.

The story continues. Now that I could predict that my basement will likely be free of future floods, replacing my flood-damaged basement stairs became paramount in my mind. I enlisted the help of a 3rd neighbor (did I ever mention my neighborhood is quite similar to Mayberry) to rebuild the stairs. Here's what you need to know about this job: Our house is 90 years old, and was never supposed to have stairs that lead to the basement. At some point years ago, someone fudged a rather jagged entranceway to the basement, and installed very dangerous stairs. Well, even with a clean slate, there was no way to make the stairs non-dangerous in a traditional sense. However, the only thing more dangerous than dangerous stairs, is no stairs at all. Just ask Ashley, who was recently dragged down our rain-soaked deck stairs on her ass by our dog on the way to the basement to take cover from one of Dan Thomas's tornadoes. After a second almost-cracked tailbone, it was TIME to fix the freaking stairs.

My friend Tony and I went out to Lowe's and spent about $80 on supplies and went to work. I still had a template riser from the original stairs, which we traced. We did a pretty hilarious job of measuring, cutting, etc. After several hours into the job, I was quite worried that the stairs would be even more dangerous than simply diving head-first into the basement. However, a couple of days later, we have totally workable stairs, albeit still dangerous. But like I said, there was no way around this.

Now that all this is done, I'm finishing ripping out the ceiling and walls in my basement, just so I can rebuild them (the walls are thick paneling nailed to makeshift studs, the ceiling has no insulation above it and is covered in spray texture). I will also have to make some sort of flooring choice, which I will have to figure out how to pay for later. Eventually, this will be my songwriting/recording dungeon. It will be amazing.

Next weekend, Ashley's sister's boyfriend Jeff and I are going to re-tile the bathroom that our cat destroyed with his fragrant, frequent urination. This event will complete a rather hefty phase of jobs that I have put off simply out of fear that I would make a bad situation worse. It's pretty liberating to get to a point where you are so broke that you KNOW nothing will get done unless you pretty much do it yourself.

This brokeness I speak of, and all these side-effects of it, have really affected my songwriting and my general fun-having. I'm hoping that I get all this stuff figured out soon so I can start enjoying life more again.

A few quick notes:
-I just had the famous Prince's Hot Chicken for the first time on Saturday. It was totally in the ghetto, and I had to wait over an hour for my to-go order. Other than that, it was amazing.

-A few months ago, I suggested that the buyers at my work look into buying t-shirts of The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg's SNL comedy song parody group) to offer in our stores. After some repeated harassment from me to do this, they finally bought an "I'm On A Boat" t-shirt for all 820+ stores that we have nationwide. After only one full week in stores, it has sold over 2,000 units of the guys/girls shirts combined, which is EASILY the best t-shirt sales I've ever seen since I've worked there, and the best since the infamous "Vote For Pedro" period of retail merchandising.

-I am still supportive of our president, though I am a little concerned by all the money proposed to be spent in the face of all the other things that are costing so much/failing all over the place. I, however, am still shocked at the growing loathing for him coming from the right wing. After all, he hasn't dragged us into a war against any countries who didn't attack us or anything crazy like that. Give the guy a break and save your "communist/socialist" name-calling.

-I'm still stuck at around 180 pounds. I'm going to have to really attack the diet again and mix up the workout to finally get to/beyond my goal of 175. I'm still doing pretty darn well and working out 5 or so days per week.

-I ran a 5K in just over 22 minutes a few weeks ago, averaging just over 7 minutes per mile. I was really surprised.

-Ashley has really been working hard on her artwork, and she's been building up a good bit of inventory, and continues to sell her stuff at Shimai, out at the Loveless Cafe. I love her more all the time and wonder when we'll have enough money to finally plan a freaking wedding. I GUARANTEE it will be no later than April, hopefully sooner.

OK... I'm tired and need to watch grainy, low-resolution episodes of the 5th season of LOST (only episodes 12 and up are available at ABC.com in HD) so we can finally get caught up and begin the 4-5 months of waiting for the final season to start.

I won't stay gone so long next time.
-Aaron

your all-inclusive Arob update

Hi.  Long time, I know.  

I re-watched One Punk Under God last night in its entirety.  I started watching it and couldn't pull myself away, and ended up with only 3 hours of sleep.  Somehow, it was even more moving this time around.  When it was over, Ashley demanded that I write Jay Bakker and ask him to officiate our wedding.  Since I actually met him and got to talk to him for a while, and since I've heard him talk about doing weddings, I didn't find this to be a totally ridiculous notion, so I went ahead and emailed him.  So, we'll see how all that plays out.  That would be completely amazing though.  We're tentatively shooting for a fall wedding, but as every day passes, fall gets closer and closer, so I'm not sure if we can pull it off.  We've all but decided to have the wedding in our back yard.  It'd be small and intimate with a relatively small guest list, which would be heavily expanded for the reception which would be more like a big party with all our friends.

We went to Rumours East last night and I managed to spend $0.  I sat there and drank water all night while Ashley and Shannon had shrimp and grits, salad, and two orders of potato wedges.  I don't love going to that place because I don't drink and because I'm not a huge fan of the entrees (only because I'm finicky, it looks pretty though), so I ate at home before we left.  We went there because Kyle Andrews was supposed to be playing.  To my dismay, he had canceled earlier in the day without telling anyone.  So, essentially I just sat there watching the ladies eat, trying to look 75% as cool as everyone else in there.  I did talk to the bartender about playing in their lounge area.  It seems like an ideal place to play a solo acoustic set and to do some networking, so I'm gonna get on some of that action.  Plus, it's downright pleasant in there.

My best friend Gary visited from May 21-26 and we had a blast.  We ate like pigs but we managed to work out every day he was here except for one.  All the angus beef that was consumed in such a short period of time sort of threw my body for a loop, but I think I've got myself back on track.  For a few weeks there, I would get down to about 178 pounds by the end of the work week, go nuts eating everything imaginable on the weekend, wake up monday at 183 pounds, and then spend all week getting back to 178.  I think my ideal weight is somewhere closer to the upper 160's, which is less than I had originally thought.  So, I'm going to try to expedite myself to that weight by being super intense for a few weeks.  I'm basically watching the diet closely, waiting as long to eat for each meal as I can so I don't find myself starving at 10:00pm, and working out twice a day when possible.

Finally, less and less often these days do I find myself completely obsessed with a band/artist that is new to me.  Perhaps it's that thing that happens when you hit your late 20's/early 30's where all of a sudden everything new sounds like noise and you subconsciously decide to only listen to the music you loved between the ages of 16 and 27 for the rest of your life.  I certainly hope not.  I think to think of what I'm experiencing as highly, highly refined taste.  :-)

Anyway, a few weeks ago, the French band Phoenix was on SNL and they absolutely killed like nothing I'd seen in a long, long time.  I got that sort of chill over my body that I haven't gotten since college.  And the performances only get better with repeated views, even though they screw up really audibly once in each song, which never seems to happen on TV shows.  I had heard of the band from Ryan Malina and from Doug Deluca over the years and generally liked what I heard, but never listened to a full record.  This new record they have called Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is one of those undeniable tour de force type records.  Sadly, it will probably lose its potency after everyone in the world eats it up and puts it all over Grey's Anatomy and every magazine declares it the album of the year.  That's why I am telling you about it now if you don't already know.  Experience it while the gettin's good.  I'll leave you with a video of one of the performances from SNL.  They are both awesome, so get on Hulu and watch them both.

I hope all 7 of you are having a wonderful week, and I wish you all a lovely weekend.

I approve of KGC...

Dear loyal readers,

If you read this blog yesterday, then you know I was going to be your litmus test to determine the initial taste/quality of KFC's new Kentucky Grilled Chicken.  I had mentioned that Ashley and I were going to have a classy sit-down KFC dinner, using Oprah's free meal coupon.  Sadly, Ashley was so unexcited by the idea that we were going to KFC that she ended up bailing on me.  So, I decided to hit KFC's drive-thru on the way home.

I got there to discover that the parking lot was totally full and the drive-thru was beginning to back up, all thanks to coupon-mania.  The line moved suprisingly fast, and I soon made it to the speaker.  I quickly learned the limitations of the free coupon version of the meal.  The only two sides you were allowed to have were mashed potatoes & gravy and cole slaw.  The biscuit was thankfully also included.  Also, you were only allowed a breast/wing combo or a thigh/drumstick combo.  I elected for double-mash (heck with slaw!), no gravy, breast/wing, and I added a drink (not included on coupon) that they did not charge me for.  My final cost, $0.00.  Amazing.

Anyway, my review of this food follows a 10 minute drive home, so freshness can not fully be rated.  The chicken was actually a good portion.  I was worried it would be small and unfilling.  It did include the skin, which I mostly picked off.  It was pretty well seasoned, and tasted good, if not a touch chewy/slimy, which may have something to do with driving it home while it rested in a tropical, enclosed, plastic environment.  But only a touch... these negatives were not deal-breakers at all.  Sadly, they mistakenly doused my mashed potatoes in gravy, which took some surgery to mostly eliminate.  But hey, it was free.  

The biscuit, naturally, was delicious.  The mashed potatoes, instant as always, were totally acceptable considering their instant-ness.  Plus, they are only 100 calories per serving.  The chicken, overall, gets high marks.  I would recommend it.  Plus, the chicken itself is under 300 calories.  Also a big plus, the meal (minus beverage) is only $3.99.  If you are looking to get a good amount of food, on the run, with zero grease, and with all the benefits of high protein content and low fat/sugar content, then KFC can now be considered a viable option for you.  Especially if you are totally tired of cold sandwiches like I am.

Keep in mind though, you may choose to avoid the biscuit or one of the heavy sides such as Macaroni (hi-cal, hi-fat), Baked Beans (hi-cal, hi-sugar), potato wedges(hi-cal, hi-fat, greasy!), etc.  That's probably a good idea.  But if you eat the biscuit OR one of those sides, you'll be fine.  I just wouldn't do that every day.  

If you get the grilled chicken, a side of mashed potatoes with no gravy, a side of green beans (only 25 calories!), and a biscuit, you will have consumed under 600 calories.  Skip the biscuit, and you are down to just over 400 calories.

Now go into the world with greater confidence in the healthiness of your fast food options.

Kentucky Grilled Chicken review coming soon...

Thanks to Oprah Winfrey & KFC, I have procured a coupon for a FREE 2-piece GRILLED chicken meal w/ 2 sides & a biscuit.  Get yours until midnight tonight here:  http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090430-tows-kfc-coupon-download

Anyway, I never go to KFC because as you may already know, fried chicken is really, really bad for you.  I think a lot of people falsely assume that chicken is generally OK for you, even when fried.  Totally not the case.  Fried chicken is seriously one of the worst things you can ever eat.  You might think, "there's not that much batter on there",  or "it's white meat", or "at least it's not beef", etc.  True enough.  But it's amazing how many carbs they can cram into fried chicken batter.  And the fat?  HUGE amounts of it.  I never ever consume fried chicken anymore (including chicken tenders, wings, breaded chicken sandwiches), unless a.} it's a special occasion, or b.} it's Saturday and I frickin want some.  That said, this whole Kentucky Grilled Chicken idea could really bring something to the fast food world that has never existed in my memory: A grilled fast food option that does not include a bun, does not HAVE to be accompanied by fries (damn you Chick-Fil-A, nobody wants a FRUIT CUP!), and even with 2 sides can actually hover around the desired 500-600 calorie mark for a meal.  It's relatively low in sodium, which is surprising (less than half that of the fried kind), very low fat (even lower if you remove the skin), and very high in protein.  

Now, a biscuit is included in this meal, which is actually fine to eat as long as you stick to the lower calorie sides (mashed potatoes w/out gravy, green beans, corn, three bean salad).  I do recommend that you skip the biscuit if you plan on eating the Mac & Cheese as they are both two of the deadliest sides they offer.  However, if you eat one or the other along with the grilled chicken and one of the lighter sides, you'll still be ok on calories, below average on fat content, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, you will have enjoyed life.

So, all that said, I will be your guinea pig.  Tonight, Ashley and I are hitting the town for our high class, low cal, FREE dinner at KFC.  It may be totally delicious.  It may taste like a bicycle tire.  But one thing's for certain: You will know later tonight or tomorrow because I will tell you all about it.

The little reddish-orange box to the right...

The little box to the top right of the screen is my Nike+ (plus) running log.  A while back, while running at the Stones River Greenway, a guy I met extolled the virtues of the Nike+ system to me.  He told me that it works with your Ipod Nano to track your running stats for you.  The guy had Nike+ shoes, which have a little compartment under the insole that houses the Nike+ sensor which communicates with a little plug that you snap on to your Ipod Nano.  The sensor has an accelerometor in it, which is easily calibrated to be surprisingly accurate.

Anyway, Nike running shoes seem kinda lame, and I ended up upgrading my now discontinued (and rightfully so) New Balance 992's with a pair of Brooks shoes, so I didn't think I was in the market for the Nike+ thing.  Also, I have a regular 80gb Ipod, which is not compatible with Nike+.  Then I looked it up online and discovered that some clever folks out there developed a pouch that you can lace onto your shoe that would hold the Nike+ sensor.  Then I remembered that I bought Ashley an Ipod Nano a while back that she had used approximately once. 

So, with a $30 purchase of the Nike+ and another $20 purchase of an armband and a sensor pouch, I was in business.  This thing is way worth the money.  Like I said, it's strangely accurate.  I ran the 13.1 mile 1/2 marathon, and the sensor measured it as 13.3 miles.  Over such a long distance, I thought surely there'd be a bigger discrepancy.  All my runs of 3 and 4 miles that I normally do checked out with the sensor as being pretty much the distance that I had crudely measured them to be (which may actually just be a testament to MY accuracy).

Also, you can choose to have a man's or a woman's voice update you throughout your workout ON DEMAND of your time, distance traveled, and current pace.  I choose WOMAN.  While it seems like the woman is simply being informative, I swear the stupid man is literally taunting me.  Anyway, then, when you get home, you just sync your Ipod like you normally would to update it, and it connects to Nikeplus.com and uploads all your workouts.  You can name all your runs if you want to, like if you are competing in various races or what-not, or if you just want to keep up with a particular run that you do on a regular basis to see if you are making progress/speeding up/etc.  Finally, if you a dork like me, you can add a cute little widget on your blog/webpage/etc.

That, my friends, is what that box is.

I am very sorry...

...if this blog is completely and utterly boring.  I will try to spice it up.  But not with sodium.  Sodium=bad.

I'm so focused (obsessed) with my diet & exercise that it's making the subject matter discussed here rather 'one-note'.  I have other stuff going on, but it feels almost more boring to talk about that because while there is stuff happening in my life, there's really not much to report on it currently.

I will say that Ash & I are much closer to picking a wedding date and planning all that stuff.  That will be news to report for sure... when I know more.

OK back work.

Soda progress.

On Monday, I drank no soda at all for the first time in my memory.  Tuesday, I drank 1 20-ounce diet mountain dew that I split up between the morning and afternoon.  Then, at lunch I stopped at Chick-Fil-A, ordered my usual, and then drove off realizing that I had ordered a Diet Coke without even thinking about it.  I find it completely weird that I'm consciously trying to not drink soda, and then I go through the process of requesting one and taking a sip before I realize that I am not supposed to do that.  Effects of Aspartame on memory/focus?  You decide.

Then today, I drank coffee in the morning instead of the usual soda.  I did get a Diet Mountain Dew at lunch and drank half of it.  I'll drink the rest in the afternoon, and then I won't drink any when I get home because there isn't any there.  I think 1 per day is definitely an improvement, but I'm not sure it's good enough.  Moderation may not quite cut it.