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2012-366 Day 56 – Food

Everyone has their favorite restaurants, the places that they go to when they want a certain type of food or a specific dish. I’m sure over the course of the year I’ll be writing about all my favorite places, maybe I’ll even compile them into a list of some sort. But how do you find these places? Did someone tell you about them? Did you stumble across them by sheer fortune? There are actually a few different ways Jess and I have found the places we love to go.

One way is a new “thing” we’ve developed in the last year or so, and that’s using Yelp to find restaurants whenever we are in an area we are unfamiliar with or we just want to try something new. It has actually worked out rather amazingly, as I don’t recall being disappointed with a single place we’ve visited, and we’ve actually found some all-time favorites (ask Jess about the chocolate lava cake in Big Bear sometime). As a matter of fact we found a place quite literally around the corner from us (San Carlo Italian Deli) which we love by looking for a place with good reviews in the area on Yelp when we moved in.

Of course there’s the old fashioned way too, as in the past couple weeks we tried three new places around Ventura Boulevard, one of which we passed by and decided to try (after checking it out on Yelp first, of course) and two other places recommended by two different friends. We passed The Slaw Dogs on the way to an appointment and decided to head back there for dinner after the reviews looked promising. I already mentioned Nicola’s on our anniversary, and then finally we tried The Stand down on Canoga recommended to us by Brian. All of them were excellent meals (we’ve already been back to The Slaw Dogs and The Stand another time), and it’s nice having so many different ways to track down something different and delicious. I’d actually put The Stand up there as one of the best burgers I’ve had in the Valley.

Of course our favorite burger place of all time came to us courtesy of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (video) when we saw the piece on Hodad’s in San Diego and decided we had to go down there and try it. We’ve actually tried a couple other places that have been featured on the show when we were in there neighborhood, but Hodad’s is the only grand slam home run to come from it.

Today’s outing took our small group to Porto’s Bakery in Burbank, a place that serves Cuban inspired food along with delicious baked treats, which delivered as usual. We were exposed to them via a combination of friends and people bringing in their baked goods in to Jess’ work, although we don’t make it down there too often to avoid gaining 20 pounds from their cheese rolls (sooooo good).

The thing about food is we have to eat everyday, so it’s good to find places you like and a variety of them as well. I’ll continue looking, but let me tell you that the one constant I’ve found is the best places have the worst parking. Just a little heads up there.

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 35.4 miles
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 14 (19792 points, 192/3250 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Next Game: 2/26, 7:30 pm

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By Matt
February 25, 2012

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2012-366 Day 55 – Random Musings

Well, judging from the response so far to yesterday’s posts, I was less controversial and more just saying what everyone else is thinking. I’ll take it, and I’m glad that I know so many like-minded people. Now if there was only a way to get more like-minded people into politics, but then they’d be stuck in politics and I’m not sure I’d wish that on them.

I’m feeling a little scattered today (it’s been a long week) so I figured I could just make my blog post reflect that today. So, what do we want to talk about today?

I’m looking forward to my first soccer game on Sunday night. After so many false starts, it’ll be nice to actually get underway (although I’m a bit scared of the results, we’ll count not getting kicked in the face the first time out as a win and everything else as gravy).

I gave out an internet scavenger hunt to my class today (it ties into the hierarchies and search engines section of the class), and last year one of the students actually found this blog (well, the previous Disney World posts). And that’s why we don’t talk about what happens in class here. Actually, if I told you what happened in class your lame joke exposure would go way up, and I don’t want to do that to you. You probably get enough of that if you see me in person.

Jess is home sick today with something that seems similar to what I had last week (so not so terrible as just really annoying). Pray for Jess to feel better.

The last couple posts I’ve started tagging to give another way to sort through all the posts, and at some point I’ll go back through and tag the old entries. Not too exciting, but just thought I’d let you know.

Today was a ridiculously gorgeous day in Southern California. Check your local statutes, but I’m pretty sure it was illegal to spend all day inside today. I took any excuse to head outside over the course of the day.

Saw this in the hallway where I teach. Picture of the Day:

So, wait, do I still have to break the glass to take it?

What can I say? It’s Friday, it amused me. Catch you on the weekend.

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 35.4 miles (+2 miles)
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (18836 points, 2236/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Next Game: 2/26, 7:30 pm

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By Matt
February 24, 2012

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2012-366 Day 54 – Politics I

If you lean too far to the right or left, I don’t know that this is the post for you. I’ll understand if you just come back tomorrow. The rest of you, duly warned, may proceed.

So here we go, our first foray into politics here. I’ll be revealing my stance on things over the course of this blog, so I won’t lay it all out ahead of time to avoid coloring your views ahead of time. I will say this: I’ve gotten to the point where pretty much all political news angers me, and here’s why:

1) You act like your political party monopolizes something.

Instead of admitting that each side is made up of a variety of viewpoints and no two people inside that party likely have exactly the same beliefs, you paint everyone in the party in broad strokes. Even the same issue is claimed by both sides, with the Democrats claiming a War on Science by the Republicans, but the Republicans going “uh-uh, it’s you who is against science.” I’m certain there are Democrat scientists and Republican scientists, and, rather than painting one entire group as anti- this or pro- that, we should acknowledge that science should exist independent of politics. Just as there are environmentalist Republicans, there are Christian Democrats.

2. Us versus Them

Look, I understand that it feels good to be on a team and to celebrate your team’s victories, but politics shouldn’t be a team sport. Political parties used to represent a platform to start from, now they are the end all and be all. “Republicans are idiots.” “Democrats are hippies.” It goes back to the earlier point of lumping everyone in the party in as one. Sure, there are some Republicans who are idiots, but there are some Democrat idiots too. If this were a race of people we were talking about, it would be just about the most racist attitude you could find. Instead, since it’s a political party, you can set up people on both ends who make a living generalizing and marginalizing the other side. It’s actually rather sickening to me.

3. Separation of Church and State

Never have so few words been more bent and twisted by both sides than these. Rather than attempting to set straight what the original intent was and what it means for our country (a task I am woefully unqualified for), I instead want to discuss a specific aspect. There seems to be a large group of people who believe that laws should be made to govern individual morality, the two most hot button topics right now being gay marriage and birth control (due to the government health care provisions). Taking the second topic first, there are people who believe we must restrict/outlaw birth control because it will encourage promiscuity. I actually agree with Ron Paul’s quote, “But sort of along the line of the [contraception] pills creating immorality, I don’t see it that way. I think the immorality creates the problem of wanting to use the pills. So you don’t blame the pills.” In both these topics I see it like this, God has created the universe and set down the Law for us to follow, but at no time does he prevent us from making a choice that is immoral. Likewise, when laws are created they should not be created with the mind to outlaw immorality that doesn’t infringe upon someone else’s free will (murder, rape, child abuse and the like are obviously wrong and should always remain so). Our job as Christians is to point people away from the cliff, not duct tape them to the nearest tree so they can’t go hurtling off it. The very act of forcing someone to do something against their will is going to do more to drive them away than telling them there’s a better way that doesn’t involve all the damage falling off a cliff entails. Many people are still rallying against the birth control issue even though the churches have been given a compromise that does not force them to pay for something they don’t believe in, and it is the fact that we live in a country where such a compromise is made (and said churches also are allowed to exist tax-free) which demonstrates how out of touch someone who claims the church in America is under attack really is (ask the churches in Africa what being under attack really is like). Here’s a final possibly surprising opinion on the subject: the government (at all levels) should stay out of the gay marriage issue.

We’ll leave that here for now to let people process. I believe more and more that the two party system is broken beyond repair. For the time being I am registered as a Republican, as more of their values align with mine than the Democrats, but I will vote for whoever I believe will do the best job and matches my convictions the best. I believe the time is nearing where we have to reboot the workings of the United States for its own survival, the path that we are heading down is one of a fallen empire. “A country divided against itself cannot stand,” whether that division be physical or ideological, and we are doing more to divide ourselves every single day.

A co-worker was sworn in as a citizen of the United States yesterday, so we had a party for them. We thought it would be fun to wear red, white, and blue, so I chose to wear this to work for the second time. Picture of the Day:

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 33.4 miles (+4 miles)
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (18409 points, 640/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Next Game: 2/26, 7:30 pm

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By Matt
February 23, 2012

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2012-366 Day 53 – Writing

Most of you who know me nowadays know me as the computer guy, working in IT, teaching Computer Science classes, occasionally creating websites, and owning a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Computer Science. Very little in my life has not been touched or defined by technology for a long time now, and I have little problem with it being that way. Those of you that knew me in high school, however, might have known that this wasn’t always the case.

My high school English career is actually the source of one of my favorite anecdotes. By the time I was a Senior I had established a reputation as an excellent English student, solidified by twice having gotten a perfect 800 on the English portion of the SATs (of course I had taken it twice in an attempt to improve my overall score, which I failed at since both times I also achieved identical scores of 640 on the Math portion). I was ahead of schedule with my classes which freed up an extra period in my schedule. I had originally intended to be the yearbook editor but, since that was an elected position, I had lost the race (proving there is a gap between liked and popular). Seeing as my schedule had a gap, it was suggested that I pursue an Independent Study course, one that would be defined between me and the school. It was decided that since I had excelled in English, I would grade the Freshman through Junior English papers. Looking back, it wasn’t a particularly exciting assignment, but it didn’t matter much as the gig only lasted for four weeks. Sadly, the person who had defeated me in the yearbook editor elections was forced to leave the school due to some allegations of misbehavior, and I was asked to step in and take his place. Not as yearbook editor though, since I had lost the race and all, I don’t even remember what my substitute title was. Maybe I’ll go home and look it up and insert it here later (). We got six week progress reports on our grades and I received the one and only report bearing my Independent Study two weeks later. The class names were limited in length (apparently to seventeen characters) as I received an ‘A’ in “Independent Stud.”

Unfortunately it is true that any ability not practiced begins to see atrophy, and all those years of computer work took a toll on my English abilities. That’s actually a major reason why I am undertaking this blog project this year, just to get myself back into the habit of writing again. That’s also why you’ll see a variety of styles over the course of the year, from short stories to poetry (although probably not a ton of poetry). Should you be wandering by and want to give feedback on my writing, please do, I would appreciate it.

I definitely do not consider myself to be an excellent writer, nor do I feel I have even the ability that I used to have in high school. Skills, however, can be reclaimed with use, and practice, as they say, makes perfect, so I will continue to practice here and hope that you will come along for the ride. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read these posts, and look forward to making many more.

Tangentially related, I came into to work this morning and saw this headline on the Daily Sundial, our college newspaper:

Now, I have never been a huge fan of the campus paper (though I did have a couple letters and pictures published in my undergraduate time here), and my highest praise was that it was very absorbent when you needed to clean up spills. But really, Daily Sundial? You’re a college newspaper that needs to resort to headline tricks that would make the author of the sixth grade newsletter take pause?

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 29.4 miles
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (17240 points, 640/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Next Game: 2/26, 7:30 pm

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By Matt
February 22, 2012

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2012-366 Day 52 – Baseball

“Pitchers and Catchers report.” There’s a reason that those words have become an almost divine portent to the baseball fan, and that reason is the new season is just around the corner. Those magic words were uttered today for the Dodgers and so begins a season almost more important now for how it will affect future seasons rather than what actually occurs in this season. Despite having (inarguably) the best pitcher (Clayton Kershaw) and (only slightly arguably) best hitter (Matt Kemp – please don’t regress) in the National League, the rest of the roster doesn’t appear to have enough to push the Dodgers much past last year’s mediocrity. But April 1st is the alleged sell by date for the Dodgers, and at that point we can begin to truly see what the future holds.

Many words have been written on baseball as an almost religious construct for its devotees, and I’ll admit that its unique structure among american sports lends it better to those comparisons. Beginning with what we are currently reflecting on, the promise of Spring, the hope of a new season, and even the Cubs (or more appropriately this year, the Astros) aren’t out of it at this point. The uniqueness of a 162 game season which watches the calendar turn to the Summer and then finally the Fall, where the winners are crowned seven months after the regular season begins. It is a construct unique among sports, where the team that starts the season can often bear little resemblance to the one that finishes it. Where having your best game at the right time, or your worst game at the wrong time can swing seasons, playoff series, or even the ultimate, an elimination game.

While some people who don’t like baseball feel that it is too slow (although those who tout football in its place are ignoring that out of 60 minutes of game time stretched over two to three hours, there is only 11 minutes of actual football action on average), and I will readily concede that pacing issues are a matter of personal taste, I feel that baseball’s pace plays to my strategic side (the chess moves are much more readily apparent to me than the other sports I am less familiar with). I will also admit that growing up playing the sport has endeared it to me greatly. The tradition, story lines (the last day of the regular season in 2011 was INSANE), and chance to see history on any given day definitely make it my preferred sport.

Speaking of strategic sides, I went out at lunch today and made myself a purchase:

I saw it before Christmas and just never got around to getting it, so I figured today was an appropriate day to go out. Sadly, while it advertises All-Stars on the front it is actually referring to the 2010 All-Stars, so I got Andre Ethier and Hong-Chih Kuo instead of Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw. I look forward to playing a few games though.

So it begins. Go Dodgers!

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 29.4 miles (+3 miles)
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (17240 points, 640/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Next Game: 2/26, 7:30 pm

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By Matt
February 21, 2012

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2012-366 Day 51 – IT Workers

Spent the majority of today cleaning up the mess that our transcript scanning software left when it decided it just didn’t want to work anymore. Unfortunately, since I’m the only one who knows how the insides (mostly) work (well, often not really work), it requires a lot of my day to troubleshoot. Thankfully I’m one level insulated from their tech support now so I don’t have to directly deal with them, as there is nothing worse than being an IT worker dealing with other companies’ IT workers. The problems:

1) The entry level people have to use the same script regardless of who is calling.

This is a major problem in the large companies with a single point of contact for tech support. You get thrown in the queue and have to wait for the first person to answer the phone, and that person is then required to ask X questions before allowing you to escalate the issue. Sometimes you can attempt to short circuit the frustration by telling them you are experienced and would like to speak to their next level support immediately, but often they won’t do that. When I was point person on Dell contacts when we had a long string of fan failures I managed to get around this by finding their email submission form and creating an paragraph I just copied and pasted for each one that addressed all the questions in the script. Cut my time down from an hour per phone call to two minutes an email.

2) The tech working your problem is newer to the system than you are.

I get this all the time with the transcript software since the company that originally created the software was bought out a little while ago. Now the techs from the new company are trying to get their heads around what is going on with the system, while, if you are lucky, occasionally you can find one of the two techs that stayed on from the old company. It’s always disconcerting when you know more than the tech does about the problem and you called them for help. And sometimes it’s just incompetence, as I have one tech from a company that used to call me whenever he showed up to service the hardware to fix it for him (I stopped that one real quick).

3) Yes, I restarted the system

I realize this solves 95% of normal computer problems, but I am an IT professional: I would not be calling you if this was a normal computer problem.

4) Condescension

Thankfully I haven’t had to deal with this one in recent memory, but if you are an IT worker talking to another IT worker, you better be very sure that you are right before talking down to them. Actually, maybe this is a positive quality, as I’ve rarely had more fun than proving an idiot IT worker wrong on their own product.

So yes, even us IT guys hate most tech support. ::end vent::

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 26.4 miles
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (17240 points, 640/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Next Game: 2/26, 7:30 pm

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By Matt
February 20, 2012

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2012-366 Day 50 – Sleep

I briefly considered doing a round number post celebrating the fact that we’re already up to 50 posts, but then I realized I’d also have to consider the fact that there’s still 316 posts left, and that made me feel a little less like celebrating. Instead I’m going to address an issue brought up in the sermon at church today (Go to Launch Sermon Player – The Simple Life Message #7 A Place of Rest), and that is the issue of sleep.

Sleep and I have always had a somewhat complex history. For one, I have never actually liked going to sleep, and that probably plays a lot into the fact that in the past I have put it off as late as I can. Once I am asleep, however, it’s the greatest thing ever and I dislike having to get up for any reason. Probably why my natural rhythm seems to be go asleep around two and wake up around ten (I very rarely get to indulge in this rhythm, but on vacations it really comes out). I will admit that one of my main problems with sleep is that I do not like the idea that the world is moving on while I’m checking out of it. The fact that five to nine hours is passing by with me being unconscious bothers me to no end. Even though there’s probably nothing productive I could be doing with that time, it feels to me as if I’m wasting it.

As I was reminded by the sermon today, that time is not being wasted, it is the time that is allowing the body to heal and the brain to cope. I’ve already done one major overhaul to my sleep patterns this year in cutting out the vast majority of my home computer use. Now instead of staying up until midnight or one playing games or just surfing the web, I generally run out of things to do around 11 pm and go to bed by 11:30. This has probably added on the average about an hour a night to my sleep time, pushing me closer to seven hours than six. It’s also taking me less time to fall asleep now, about 15-20 minutes rather than 30-45, although I still have to take some time to shut off the parts of my mind that are telling me that the world is passing me by.

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 26.4 miles (+3.2 miles)
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (17240 points, 640/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1

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By Matt
February 19, 2012

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2012-366 Day 49 – Questions?

Have you ever had one of those days that ranged all over the place? Times that were a lot of fun coupled with some that kinda stunk? Then you sit down to write a blog post at the end of the day (and you only have a half an hour left because you got home late) and realize that you can’t really talk coherently about any of it at the moment? What happens when your brain and soul hold a little rebellion and refuse to allow you to write? Do you write an entire post with questions that don’t really have an answer? Can you get away with not writing any definitive statements?

Will people call you on it and call it a cop out? Or will they understand and cut you some slack? Does it really matter since it’s your post and you can do what you want with it? Will people still come back tomorrow? Maybe one day I can just write a post of answers?

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 23.2 miles
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (16925 points, 325/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1

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By Matt
February 18, 2012

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2012-366 Day 48 – Running

So after seeing a posting on Facebook saying the race was 90% full (Liars! The website when I got there said it was 87% full!), I registered yesterday for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September (I later received an email saying that the L.A. Rock and Roll half marathon had been moved to late October and is a Halloween themed race, so I might do that one too). I’ll use this opportunity to point you to my original article on running, which I wrote over a year and a half ago (and about 3 weeks before the beginning of the events described in the lost year). I encourage you to read (or review) the original article, as I’ll be updating it here.

Back? Good.

I do wish that I was back at the volume of running that I was doing at the time, but, sadly, there was a time period when I was undergoing the neck and shoulder issues that I didn’t think I would be able to run long distances again. Now that I am largely recovered, I have to rebuild my mileage base and work my way back up, and giving myself a target date of September makes that easy enough. It has, however, renewed my appreciation for the physical ability to run the miles, with this filter now being my own experience as opposed to someone else’s.

In the meantime, I’m heading back out to train so that I’m ready for April’s Ragnar Relay So Cal, my absolute favorite race, for the third straight year. I’ll try to get the technology set up so that I can live blog it this year (although I always tend to fall asleep sometime in the middle of day two, so there may be a little lag in there). For those I haven’t told about it before, the Ragnar Relay is a 200 mile(ish) relay race where 12 people (or a crazy 6 people) split over two vans take turns running 36 legs (each runner gets three legs, so the first runner would run legs 1, 13, and 25 while the last runner runs legs 12, 24, and 36, and each leg ranges from 3 to 9 miles). While one van is on the course, the other van moves down the line and gets whatever rest they can. It is an absolute blast (although I’d imagine you mileage would vary if you had bad van-mates, but I’ve yet to have that happen), and the physical challenge coupled with the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment at the end makes for an incredible two days. It’s a running experience I look forward to without the hint of dread that half and full marathons dredge up.

Between making you read/review the original article and putting up around 500 words here, I think I’ll wrap it up for today. I would not be surprised to see more running posts as these events draw closer. Oh, I’ll also mention that while I didn’t do a lot of mileage in January, apparently Karate is a pretty good cardio workout, as I was able to pick up where I left off in terms of mileage and speed very quickly.

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 23.2 miles
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (16925 points, 325/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1

Posted in Matt 2012-366, Matt General. Tagged with , , , .

By Matt
February 17, 2012

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2012-366 Day 47 – Valentine’s Day

Okay, so I’m doing a bit better today, still some congestion and a lot of sneezing/nose blowing, but I’m upright and at work. Wait, where’s everyone going? Sorry, sorry, I’ll move on . . .

Valentine’s Day? What do you mean it was Tuesday? Uh oh . . .

Alright, now that I’ve gotten rid of the people who don’t like discussions on illnesses and bodily fluids and those who hate ellipses (Ha! Ellipses . . .), I will say that, no, I did not forget Valentine’s Day (Jess’ comment after work on Tuesday, “I thought your blog would be about something else today.”), and it was a very intentional decision to put off discussing it in the blog (although it was originally supposed to be yesterday, and that forgetting joke might have been funnier then. Stupid head cold).

Jess, to her credit, HATED Valentine’s Day when we first started going out (and still does to a degree). She just had never had a good one. Rather than accepting this I (for some reason foolishly) was determined to help get her over this. This is bad, because I am terrible at planning big things far ahead. Just not wired that way for whatever reason, so I’d put way to much pressure on myself for something she didn’t want anyway. Sadly, I don’t even remember what most of those things were, although I did manage to get her to come around a little bit, so I must have had a successful Valentine’s Day or two in there.

Again, I’m not certain where I got this idea from (to make her like it) in the first place. It’s not like I was a huge Valentine’s Day fan going into the process, I never had one before Jess. In fact, while I believe that Valentine’s Day is probably necessary to let the husbands/boyfriends who put zero effort into their relationship know what day to buy flowers, I’m not certain that Valentine’s Day is strictly necessary for healthy relationships. Ideally this should be a far more regular occurrence than one day a year, and would generally be much cheaper and less crowded if you do any of these things (buy flowers, go out on dates) on any other day.

Last year kind of hit the reset button, seeing as I spent the entire day with a stomach bug, going out was not an option. So, in a more low key environment this year, I made reservations at a little Italian place on Ventura Blvd (Nicola’s) which turned out pretty well. We had been running ourselves pretty ragged in the last week (I calculated that in the 100 or so hours between Saturday morning and Tuesday night, I had spent about 4 and a half hours at home where I wasn’t sleeping – probably another cause of this cold), so low key was definitely appropriate.

All this discussion about Valentine’s Day, with not much about my Valentine. By virtue of this blog being by me and about what I feel/see, and owing to the fact that I don’t want to publicize anyone here that doesn’t want it, I don’t talk about a lot of other people in this blog and, when I do, it’s generally just their first name or a nickname (to protect the guilty . . . er, innocent). However, since Jess is my wife and co-tenant of this blog (yay, new Jess post!) who you can find more info about here, I’m guessing I can be a bit more open in talking about her. We will, however, set that apart in the next section, so it’s not welded on to this chunky introduction.

So what can I say about my Valentine? I’m enormously blessed to have such a loving and giving woman as my wife. She takes care of me in so many ways, between cooking for me, taking care of a lot of the day to day activities around the house, and serving as my social calendar (if I’ve seen you in the past seven years and it hasn’t been at church or work, you probably have Jess to thank for that). We compliment each other extremely well (I may be “dead inside,” which Jess helps to mitigate, but that also provides me the ability to bring my point of view outside of situations and realize what other people’s beliefs about you doesn’t really matter), and the fact that we both love many of the same things and have such a deep friendship really allows us to get through the rough patches together (one of our mottos: “I will always love you, but I don’t have to like you right now”). I used to write poetry in high school (yes, one of my many geeky tendencies), and, while I am extremely rusty, I believe I’ve owed her a poem for going on eight or nine years now.

A fair blonde haired beauty,
Who loves me better than I deserve.
A lovely blue eyed sweetie,
Whose life I’d give mine to preserve.

For while at times we sit
And talk of nothing of import.
Other times we are lit
With passion’s fire and exhort.

Though I’ve known you
Fourteen years now, seven as wife.
It remains just as true
That I can’t imagine you not in my life.

While at times you may be tired
With life’s constant grinding pace,
I’d like to pass on my heart’s fire
to help you keep running the race.

There is no poem, no rhyming verse,
That could contain all of the words
Needed to express why my heart bursts,
So let life continue writing . . .

I love you so much sweetheart, happy Valentine’s Day!

(I love the rest of you too, if you didn’t stop reading before the poem, you can go now.)

Weight: 233.4 Max: 240 Min: 233.4 Body Fat %: 24.7
Yearly Mileage: 23.2 miles
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange – Next Test Date: 3/3/12
Fitocracy Level: 13 (16925 points, 325/3000 to next level) – ID: disciplev1

Posted in Matt 2012-366, Matt General. Tagged with , , , , .

By Matt
February 16, 2012

rev="post-246" 2 comments