Updating An Earlier Story… Actually Three Of Them, Along With A Celebration Of Today’s Lunch!

Last time I mentioned how Thanksgiving dinner prep was already underway and my dream of a full-blown Cracker Barrel holiday would have to be put off for another year. Or at least until Christmas. Remember that? Well… I planted the seed and it’s already bearing fruit. Or something. A few days ago Toney said, “Hey, maybe we should just do that Cracker Barrel thing…” Completely unprompted.

Yes! So, it’s already ordered and scheduled for pick-up on Thursday. For our three additional sides (it comes with stuffing and gravy), we went with mashed potatoes, green beans, and macaroni & cheese. The last one is controversial in my mind, but the kids requested it. And we went with a 50/50 mix of biscuits and cornbread. I guess I’m good with that.

So, it’s going to be a Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving at Chez Kay. Just like I envisioned it in my fantasies! …I’m sorry, I’m getting a little emotional. In addition, I’ve been told that we’re having pumpkin pie (blecch) and apple pie (OK). I might have to go rogue and buy an additional pie. I’m not really a fan of the gourd-based desserts, and apple is good… but fairly predictable. I might have to shake things up in the pie realm. Sam’s Club always has delicious manhole cover-sized pies for sale. Maybe I’ll check that shit out? Stay tuned for additional updates on this important matter.

Also, I’ve been to the gym two days in a row, and plan to go again today. The first day was touch and go. I didn’t really understand how to program the treadmill, and it was semi-ridiculous for the first ten minutes or so. But I got the hang of it and walked for an hour, plus cool-down (ha!).  And yesterday I went in there like some grizzled pro and took care of business with purpose and confidence.

However… I have some observations. My welcome email said I’d receive the warmest greeting ever during my first visit, followed by a tour of the facility. But the greeting was lukewarm at best. The dude was fine, but fairly uninterested and just going through the motions. And I got no tour whatsoever. He just said, “Feel free to look around…” I have no problem with any of this, not really. I don’t need a tour, and certainly don’t require a warm greeting. But I was promised both. Ya know?

Also, they make a big show of offering free Tootsie Rolls to the members. Yeah, it’s weird… But it flashes on the TVs all the time: Help yourself to a handful of complimentary Tootsie Rolls after your workout. And they have a giant bucket of the things at the front desk. So… I grabbed three or four (they’re small), and all but one were grape flavored! What in the open and shut hell?? What kind of maniac eats grape Tootsie Rolls? Why are they even in production? I’m getting angry just thinking about it.

But, so far, it’s been pleasant. It’s never been super-busy in there, but not empty either. Just right in the zone where it doesn’t feel awkward or cause my blood pressure to spike out. And the machines are modern and clean, and seemingly all in operation. And there’s a shitload of ’em. It’s good. Yesterday I was sweating and hoping my underwear wasn’t made of some kind of flammable material. Oh, around the 45-minute mark it was a like a smelting furnace in there. Pass the beer nuts.

I’m off today, just burning that PTO… So, I’ll go over and do my 60-minute walk in a little while. Then immediately go somewhere and replace 150% of the calories burned. It’s the way I roll. But I just want the exercise. At this point, that’s the goal: daily exercise. Once that’s in place, I’ll look at other things. But people tend to get carried away and attempt too much too soon. I just want to walk every day. That’s the entire goal.

And finally, remember how I was scoffing at the idea of a major snowstorm in mid-November? Well… there are updates on that story as well. In fact, I did a full 30-minute Jeff Kay Show on the subject. You can check it out here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can see that the episode has already received a rating of 8 out of 10 by Mike L. who offers up the world’s most uncomplicated podcast reviews. …He’s tough. He gave one episode a 6. It nearly ruined my day. But I’m happy with an 8. It gives me room for growth but isn’t low enough to crush me.

In any case, Thursday was The Longest Day. As one of the great philosophers once said, it sucked all the dicks. Check out Episode 39 of the podcast for the gory details. Episode 39! How’s that possible? Anyway…

I’ll leave you now with the simplest of Questions. What did you have for lunch today? Or what are you planning to have? I have a mid-level hankering for Chipotle (chicken bowl with white rice, black beans, mild salsa, corn salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese). What do you have on this? Bring us up to date, won’t you?

And I’ll be back on Thursday, before the feast. Or maybe Friday. We’ll see how it goes. I might be too excited to type!

Please don’t forget to pass through one of our Amazon links if you’re planning to do some online shopping over the next few days. Just click through any of them, like the one at the bottom of this update, and shop as normal. It’ll cost you nothing extra but will help me a great deal. It’s much appreciated.

Have a great one, my friends!

Now playing in the bunker

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