Feeling Like A Player

Foodie Tour Continues: Winter Harvest Grill

Today was highlighted by two good meet-ups, first part two of our Harvest tour with Venise; it seems like we are catching up from twenty years back... and I guess we are. 1996 was a pivotal year for both of us. She left the job and went to for the federal government and I started working graveyard shift (from previously working 3-11PM.)

Later to Aksum, where I met up with Number One Son Wolvie for a great meal at the down tempo spot on Baltimore Ave. He's digs the place... ambiance, the vibe and we had a very nice server as well. Afterward he came by and relieved me of some items in the house... as much as he could carry. Ha ha.

On the technical side, I learned how to do a few moves with Google Drive, including upload the pix from my phone, download a video clip to my phone, so I could share it on Instagram and access and complete my body weight chart in Google sheets.

Part of my plan is.. let's call it Operation: Best of Both Worlds; the goal is to live like a twenty-something (energetic and curious, in my case about the new technology) with the wisdom, experience and savvy I've accumulated along the way. Someone joked about employers wanted to hire Millennials with thirty years experience? Well, I'm that employee - problem is, you probably can't afford me... ha ha. (Watch, someone offers me a gig.)

On the financial side - and I've never been a big fan of money, but I love numbers... but not math(s)... I realize I have to position myself to be able to afford food and shelter on the road. I've been listening to the Financial Media for the past 2 years and they've been painting a gloom and doom scenario particularly for the USD. To answer those concerns, alternative as well as classic, even ancient, strategies for purchasing what's required have been emerging via the - dare I call it - Millennials - dominated interwebs. This is where I have to surmount the technology curve as well as the faith curve. That is faith in the predictions/warnings of the wackos and crackpots I readily admit to listening to.

I refer to them as such with admiring respect because several predictions they've made during 2016 have come to pass and I've scored some wins that have eclipsed the earnings from traditional financial institutions and even the long-term traditional investments. Of course I realize that one day I can be cheering about wins and the next day licking the wounds of my losses, so this isn't bragging. I'm not in for buckets of ducats, just enough to get around, from points A thru Z without too much strain and stress.

Body weight chart 6-19-16 to present (Google Sheets)

It's not only the wins that have me feeling like a player, it's being able to navigate that technology curve.

Oh, and one sobering development - a Jury Duty summons came today. Of course I won't be here, but I think it's not a random event that it arrived just over a week after leaving the gig. I'm sure it hasn't been three years since the last time. Fairly sure anyway.

Tomorrow I'll find out when I'll be able to officially leave this City.

Ciao.

On Vacation In Philly

Suburban Station, Philadelphia 12-22-16

As I walked home from the train station I was mulling over in my imagination today's contribution. Some key phrases came to mind, but when I rounded the corner I saw a front end loader on the small street a third of a block away from my house and there was a Water Department truck parked across the street. The fact that is was parked, between other parked vehicles suggested it had been there for a while and it would be there a while longer.

My imagination always prepares for its worst case scenario; no running water in my house? Do I have enough stored to make a cup of tea? As I opened the door, what to my ironic eyes should appear? but that little blue envelope that contains the water bill. This Universe business is a bit much for me at times. I think It's stacking the deck, not necessarily against me... but not for me either. It's a rigged game, but I don't expect too much.

SO I get in the house and before I even turn on the requisite music, I check the water - running!! So, of course I make a cup of tea.

Now we can get down to business... Today's Blog.

It's day six and I have come to the realization that I need to stop dining out so much. It's as if I am on vacation... or staycation in my own back yard, but never go inside to eat. But let's get to this day.

Woke early - and couldn't get back to sleep; good sign, so I started the AMX, which was more of the same. There's a lot more balancing on the pushup bars than before. Good sign. I have gotten better conditioned here. I want to say "stronger" but I'm not sure I am stronger over all, just in this particular group of exercises/poses. I may record a few clips for us.

Had to go into the (former) job today to get the retired ID, check out, turn over at least 25% of the balance of my time to the city to withhold for you guessed it... taxes. While I was there a co-worker (well, former now) showed up. We'd scheduled lunch for next Wednesday but decided to go ahead and do a brunch-ish meet-up today. Good timing. We went to the first place I ate when I started on day work; Pagaon's... a salad/food bar where I have a bit of a crush on the lady who works there (slash owns it). She's friendly in general and I have the feeling that even her rather stoic-all business husband detects the mutual attraction - but of course I would never do anything about it... not even introduce myself. Nobody needs that drama.

So Frank and I went over a combination of socio-political drama, economic conspiracy theories and some sci-fi plots that seemed to have come into our reality; and heck, we even discussed if this reality was even reality and that in some dimension of the multi-verse the outcome of the US election had been, well... different.

Then I went to the YMCA. This is around the time I started realizing that I'm pretty much doing the same pattern as I did in Los Angeles, except I got my workout done first thing. I'm a day early for a 500 workout, so I did a mainly body weight workout which including balancing, pulling and lots of leg work. It gets kind of random, but I generally get three or four sets in. I also did dips.. I hate dips so when I do them I need to acknowledge that. I should do more. If I do it will really improve my upper body strength.

At this point I don't really like doing upper body, body work, because I'm not as strong as I'd like to be... however, in order to get stronger I have to do the deed and put my ego on the back burner and not be mad if I can only do six reps instead of 20. I need to keep at it.

This session wiped me out and it didn't even seem like I did that much. Working the legs with the bands ignites different nerves and muscles... those rarely worked, so it gets my cardio-vascular system going... and the brain as well because it's not used to it. I expect some kind of pain tomorrow.

Okay after a goodbye hug from Rebecca, and young girl who sprouted into a young lady while taking my classes (she's also a pretty badass runnner too) I headed into town to meet up with Number One Son, Wolvie. I knew I was in for a loud ride when I saw the Eagles jerseys on the trolley. I am NOT an Eagles fan, but I don't knock anyone who is, so I had no idea they were playing tonight. I won't go into the suburban-kids-in-the-city bit.

I caught up with Wolvie down at suburban station and we headed to a restaurant called James that is still open in the midst of the construction that's going on across the street from it. Once again, I am completely oblivious to what's happening in the city from which I am escaping. Anyway, for three or four weeks, Mika - whom I met several years ago at The Cafe, kept telling me to come by to say farewell on Thursdays after 1600... today I finally got down there are the lace was "closed" for a private party. Humpf!! I got my goodbye hugs in nonetheless and Wolvie and I went in search of some Vietnamese food.

After a decent meal in an empty Vietnamese restaurant, we went for our traditional drink (beers) in Chinatown at a place called Sea Bar. The bartender was funny, she gave us nuts. They didin't have any dark beer on tap so I had to settle for Alagash White, which was pretty good the first time I had it, but now I can taste its bitterness. We have these occasional man-to-man talks about career and life and opportunities and such like that.

I realize through my kids and some of the other "Millennials" I come into contact with, that right now is one of the hardest times in US History to be alive and be young. I was very lucky coming up in the hood, and getting through the military and getting in at the gig when I did. I was raising kids, so there may have been a different kind of hustle and a different kind of tolerance for what kind of job I would accept. Of course I didn't have the same opportunities twenty-somethings have today, so I steer clear of the "when I was your age" speeches.

Once I get this journey of self discovery completed, I might find out that my duty it to create a business that will employ and help secure my childrens' futures... or at least make it a little easier on them.

I'm done at the job, but that will only unleash my creativity. When I find the partner (even if it's me) that can harness, focus and direct that creativity, we'll be in business.

Shot a lil clip for ya... Enjoy..