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Where was I?

Began the month with a purgation. Dan and Alicia's wedding was a culmination of over-indulgences including food, alcohol, and a long stretch without jogging. Years ago, I had gotten 20-25 pounds heavier than I am now and started the slow process of getting down to where I am now. Having acheived that, I became image-obsessive and weigh myself probably at least once a day. Obsessive. So, I'd just gained 5 pounds and decided somethingmustbedone: I've been jogging every day, only missing the evening I went out with my brother and two sick days earlier this week. It took three weeks, but I'm back in line.

Tuesday and Wednesday this week were spent with some sort of illness contracted from that dirty wife of mine. I did the excessive sleep thing and came through on Thursday almost completely cured. I am indestructable!! *cough*

Apparently, extra jogging infringes on my music schedule. At about the same time of my purgation, I decided to cautiously begin working on the first movement of Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 1 in B-flat minor. It's just beyond my abilities and will be a nice stretch. I hessitated starting because it's always very difficult to give the time required to such a piece. Updates later.

Last Friday, Lisa and I had dinner at Feast in Decatur where we radomly ran into Matt (it happens more often than either of us can explain). Feast was wow and you should go there immediately. Last Saturday, we went to a housewarming for a previous boss and friend and had a riotous feast of Indian food. Namaste.

I missed the blogger get together on Thursday just to play it cautious with my health and also to dive back into music--Lisa was at the Braves game with friends so the condo was all mine. Last night, with the mother-in-law in town, we met first at Vinocity for their 4:20 happy hour: Four $20 bottles of wine along with $2 bottles of Sweetwater 420. They have a great patio, shaded and breezy, and the weather was perfect, but the event was fatally flawed by including pleasant-enough live music that was I-kid-you-not turned up to 11. Four of us were sitting closely but still had considerable trouble having a basic conversation over the volume of the acoustic guitar and harmonica (I know) that was amplified to the point of distortion. Don't go until they fix that. My email:

Ouch. Everything was great except for the volume of the music. This should not have been treated as a Solo Rock Show. The guitarist was a good performer just too loud by far. He needed to turn the volume down so that people can relax, enjoy the music, *and* have a conversation.

The wines were good, the bartenders were nice, your patio is perfect and the weather made it more so, but don't let the music ruin an otherwise ideal locale.