I sincerely apologize for the delay in my almost-semi-regular Monday update.  Actually I couldn’t care any less, but it never hurts to appear a bit contrite.  Don’t have much to report on anyway.  Friday night I went to the Brooksider.  It had been a long week, and I was inclined to go unwind a bit.  I must say though, sitting inside at my favorite haunt just doesn’t do it for me though.  It’s loud, crowded, and just generally unpleasant.  I might seek other forms of Friday entertainment while I wait for the next break in the weather.  Or, more likely, I will continue going to the same place but complain about it.

Saturday brought me no entertainment value what so ever.  While there were ample opportunities for revelry, I had a long night of work staring me in the face so I took the low road and just stayed home.  I did sneak out for dinner at Cantina del Ray with Donette and Kelly, which was rather tasty.  After that they went out to watch the big MU basketball game;  I did the same but at home.

Sunday, when I finally woke up at the crack of 11:30, the girls were ready for some brunch.  After a brief discussion, we decided on The Cook Shack at 89th and Wornall.  It’s slightly south of our general circle of patronage, but we decided to get a little crazy and drive the extra mile or two.  It turned out to be worth the trip;  Quite delicious in fact.  The girls didn’t give rave reviews to their cinnamon roll, but everything else was top notch.  If we can handle the commute, it well may be worked into our regular rotation, especially given the recent demise of Sharp’s.  With our bellies pleasantly stuffed, we returned home to wait for the big football game later that evening.  For about as long as I can remember, we’ve gone to our friend Steve’s house out south for the Super Bowl.  Alas, given that I’d already strayed outside my boundaries once that day, I simply was not able to make the drive.  I tried and tried to convince myself that I was obligated out of sheer tradition, but when it came time to load up the car for the trip I opted for the 1.5 mile jaunt over to our friend Susan’s house instead.  And a fine party that was too.  Without the prospect of a crushing 20 minute drive home looming over us, we even stayed for the entire game;  A rarity indeed.

I got my schedule back to some semblance of normalcy this weekend.  Friday night I made my return to the Brooksider, for the first time in three weeks.  Not much had changed though;  Didn’t figure it had.  It was nice enough outside to spend a few hours on the patio with the “regular” crowd, then I went indoors for a while and sat with a handful of the TFB-BBQ members.  (They aren’t cut quite as rough as the average Brookside resident;  Bit too chilly out for them.)  Meanwhile, Donette was out having dinner at Extra Virgin with a bunch of friends.  They were taking advantage of the KC Restaurant Week specials that were going on.  If you didn’t hear about that deal, a ton of local restaurants were offering fixed menu specials, benefiting Harvesters.  Sounds like they all liked the choices too, and I liked the leftovers that made their way home.

Saturday I decided I wanted to get in on some of the Restaurant Week offerings.  So, we met our friend Susan down at Avenues Bistro for some lunch.  This wasn’t my pick, to be clear.  While I had never been there, I maintain a general aversion to any place with the word “Bistro” in the name.  They certainly didn’t do anything to sway my opinion on that stance either.  Our lunch ended up carving two and a half hours out of my day, causing to me to totally miss the Missouri game.  The vast majority of this time was spent sitting in our booth waiting and waiting and waiting for each course to come out.  (It certainly wasn’t spent eating;  It didn’t take too long to put away my main course, which consisted of three pieces of ravioli.)  Under-whelmed, to be sure.  I don’t know if the service is always that slow, or if they were busier than usual;  I seriously doubt I will ever find out either.  We went home for a few hours, and then figured that since our over-priced lunch didn’t actually consist of any food, we’d go get some dinner.  We considered a few of the “fancier” options on the list, but eventually decided on walking over to The Well.  The fixed menu there was a choice of either mahi-mahi or ribs, so Donette went with the ribs and I had the fish.  The portions they brought out were the polar opposite of what we had for lunch.  We were both actually pretty full after our (enormous) salads, then they brought her a 1/2-slab of ribs with a plate of fries, beans and slaw, and me a huge portion of fish sitting on a mound of risotto and squash.  It was all quite good too, although we had to box most of it to save room for dessert.

Sunday Donette headed north with some girls to run in the 10k “Groundhog Run.”  I mulled over the thought of going for a bicycle ride, but opted instead to take the dog over to the nearby high school for some exercise.  And exercise she did;  Whew, she must have had some energy stored up.  We played ball for a solid hour, and I think she’d have gone another 30 minutes if I’d let her.  Poor dog was so tired she was barely running though, so I figured we’d better call it a day.  When we got back home I fired up a pot roast for dinner.  Pretty much the same menu as last week, but I made a few changes.  I used a chuck roast instead of a rump, and cooked it in my dutch oven instead of a slow cooker.  Susan came over and helped us taste-test it;  Honestly I don’t think it was much different than last week’s, although I think I like the chuck cut better.  After dinner the girls popped in some Oscar-nominated movie, which both of them said stunk.  I took the upstairs TV and watched “Super 8,” which garnered an “OK” rating from me.

Another weekend ill-spent.  I think the diet experiment sucked the life out of me.  We just didn’t do much the last few days.  I should say, “I” didn’t do much;  Donette got out of the house a few times.  Friday we had “movie night” again.  Nice quiet night at home with the pets.  I can’t recall what we watched…  Suffice to say they weren’t my picks.  Seems like the second one was mildly amusing.

Saturday morning Donette got up early and went to some run somewhere.  She wasn’t running, but recruiting people for her “Team Challenge” group she’s in.  Sounds like it went pretty well, despite the brutal cold.  Meanwhile, I didn’t do a whole heck of a lot.  Played on the PC, watched basketball,  and spent a few hours on the never-ending project of sorting out our iTunes music.  (Only 5,133 more songs to categorize!!)  Donette got home in the late afternoon, changed clothes and promptly left again to go see a movie with Susan.  I stayed home and continued doing nothing.

Sunday didn’t bring a whole lot more amusement.  Donette headed out to see another movie with Susan.  As the Oscars get closer they always try and see as many of the nominated movies as possible.  Since I couldn’t care less, I don’t get to go with them.  I probably should have gone cycling again, but I decided the streets were too wet.  (Pretty weak excuse when presented with a 50-degree January afternoon, but I really hate getting my bike dirty.)  I did actually leave the house though;  Teagan and I headed out and played ball for a while.  Had quite the round of fetch too.  Poor girl was so tired she couldn’t jump in the car when we were done.  When we got back home I again mulled over a bike ride, but instead got sucked into the football games.  For dinner we went over to Susan’s and had a fine pot roast, marking the official end of the diet.  Oh, it was so good.  The plan we’ve been following recommends a week-long “transition” period to get used to adding more foods back into your diet after two weeks of all fruits and vegetables.  I didn’t read it too closely, but I would guess a plate of beef swimming in a two-inch pool of gravy is not the recommended first post-diet meal.  My poor lil’ tummy is in some bit of distress this morning.

We dialed it back considerably this weekend.  We went from a packed schedule last weekend to total homebodies the last few days.  I’m still obligated to recap it though I guess;  Not like it will take long.  Friday evening, we did a whole lot of nothing.  It was too cold to sit on the patio at the Brooksider, and I don’t really care for sitting inside, so it was “movie night” at home.  I can’t really recall what I watched, and I’m sure whatever it was wouldn’t be worth reviewing.

Saturday wasn’t a whole lot more interesting either.  I did take the dog out for a little playtime, to take advantage of the nice weather.  She needed the exercise too, she has been something of a handful lately.  Having worn her out sufficiently, I was able to lay on the couch and watch football in relative peace for the rest of the day.  This lazy activity was followed by more bad movies.

Sunday we decided to get at least a bit of exercise ourselves.  While Donette headed out to run a few miles, I took Teagan out to play ball again for an hour or so.  After that, Donette headed out to see a movie with the girls, and I took a nice 17 mile spin on my bike.  Nice and windy spin, I might add.  While definitely a bit breezy, you can’t hardly pass up 60 degree weather in January;  I figured I had better take advantage of it while it lasts.  Then for the evening, more movies.  I actually sort of liked both my selections last night, a rarity for Netflix.  First was “Texas Rangers,” which was entertaining if nothing else.  It was nearly ruined by Ashton Kutcher though.  He was one of the Rangers.  Really?  Yeah that didn’t work.  After that was Bunraku, which I’d never even heard of.  (For that matter I hadn’t heard of the Texas Rangers movie either.)  A lot more people got killed in it, a lot more often, making it the better of the two.  Despite watching the entire two hour film though, I never did figure out what a Bunraku was.

The reason for this stretch of ultra-lameness?  Well, we decided to go on a two-week diet plan to get our year started right.  (Actually I was corrected;  It’s a “cleanse,” not a “diet.”  Technicality.)  Since this time last week, we’ve eaten nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, with only water and decaf tea to drink.  It’s getting a bit tiresome, but then it’s only a two-week project so we’re halfway done.  We’ve tried some interesting new veggies along the way;  Some good, some not so much.  One of the stated goals of this program is to “retrain you to crave fruits and vegetables.”  I got a good laugh out of that one.  Yesterday, for instance, I was absolutely craving hot dogs all day long.  I don’t even like hot dogs. It was rather weird, actually.  And most of the salads we’ve fixed, while pretty tasty, we both agree would taste a lot better with some rare flank steak mixed in.  (Not to mention cheese;  Pretty much everything is better with cheese.   Even hot dogs.)  This is making me hungry, I better go eat some celery sticks.  (Without peanut butter.  Savage.)

That was an unusual weekend.  Unusual for me anyway, which means anything outside of going to the Brooksider and watching TV.  A little exercise, a little entertainment…  Weird.  I started off normal enough on Friday, with a trip down to the Brooksider.  I enjoyed the still unseasonably warm weather for a few hours out on the patio, then had some Jalapenos for dinner.  Solid evening in my book.

Saturday morning I lounged around waiting for it to warm up, then Munkirs and I went on a mid-winter bicycle ride.  Two weekend rides in a row during January;  Can’t hardly beat that.  In addition to my new Garmin, this week I tried out my new cycling bibs.  Referred to as my “onesie” by Donette, this well could be the single most unflattering piece of clothing ever developed, even in the cycling realm.  Donette managed to snap one picture of me trying it on, and that will be the last time it ever sees daylight.  OK, just kidding.  As you probably guessed from the hair, that isn’t really me.  I will actually never, ever, ever be seen in mine.  While Munkirs has been known to mow the lawn wearing his, and Martin commonly sports one playing tennis, (with one shoulder off no less,) I am a bit more discreet.  Much like Scotten’s man-girdle, some things just aren’t meant to be seen.  I opt to retreat to the basement, deadbolt the door behind me, throw it on, and then layer as many pieces of clothing on top as possible.  (I originally donned it in the spare bedroom, but I forgot about the full-length mirror in that room.  I inadvertently caught a glimpse of myself wearing the onesie, and that image will haunt me for years.)  Anyway, I must say, it is a quite comfortable garment, if a bit ridiculous looking.  Pile a few jerseys over it, nobody will ever be the wiser.

After that bit of exercise, I picked up Donette and we headed down to Hamburger Mary’s for some bingo.  This is a fund-raising event she is involved with, and it’s a pretty good time.  I even won a game this time!  Her family came down and joined us, as did the Browns.  Bingo wrapped up early, and then we joined the Browns in the adjacent room to hang out for a while.  It seemed a nice, quiet venue;  As a matter of fact, we were the only people in there.  Around nine the waiter dropped by and let us know “The dance club will be starting shortly.”  Mmm hmm.  And start it did.  As Donette and Kevin sat with their backs to the room and carried on their rapid-fire conversation, Carol and I sat in stunned silence watching the scene unfold before us.  I’ll just say…  Well…  We didn’t fit in.  We were there a good hour though, although it seemed more like four.  Hey, everybody needs a place to have a good time.  I can’t even begin to describe the crowd, and it’s probably best I don’t.  Seriously, where do you even buy leather shorts?  (Asks the guy that rode all over town wearing spandex bibs.)  Anyway, head over to their Facebook page if you dare, and check out the “Bear Bust” photo album.  And that’s all I have to say about that.

Sunday we turned it down several notches.  We went and picked up our friend Susan, then joined Donette’s family down at Eggtc for some breakfast.  It was crowded as always, but we didn’t have to wait horribly long despite the size of our group.  With a nice full belly, I headed home to pick up the dog, then went to the nearby high-school to play some ball.  She was in rare form Sunday too;  We played for a solid hour and then I still had to practically drag her home to get her to quit.  Once home though, she wiped out on the couch for the rest of the day.  Seemed like a reasonable idea, so I joined her.