Day 98: Tried a little meditation.

With all of the gadgets and entertainment I surround myself with, I never really take time to just think. I can't remember the last time I produced a truely creative idea. So I read up on a couple different meditation techniques and gave it a shot this afternoon. Much of what I read about was far too new age for my tastes, but the core of the idea is pretty solid. It's very similar to clearing out my head before falling asleep. More specifically, just switching off my brain. I managed to pull it off for about ten minutes, then my brain told me that I was really bored.

Anyway, it was very relaxing. I might toss in a few minutes every day.

Day 97: Dessert at Devereaux's

Still stinkin' sick today, but I'm fortunately functional. I've got a nagging cough that feels much like my bout of bronchitis in college. Yuck. But I do have an extra deep, raspy voice. That's kinda cool.

To more delightful topics, I ventured out into the unusually chilly night air and went into Devereaux's for a little dessert. It's very cool being able to cook my own dinner and walk 100 feet away to get my sugar high on. Plus that's about all I can afford at that joint. :) I tried something I've never had before, Goat Cheese Cheesecake. That actually sounded disgusting to me, but I'm open to anything. It was surprisingly delicious. It had a distinct ginger / cinnamon flavor that thankfully registered with my sickly taste buds.

Day 95 & 96: Sick as a dog.

Goodness, it's been an odd couple of days. For my new thing on Thursday, I cooked up some giant stuffed mushrooms for lunch. I saw some massive ones at the store this week and couldn't resist. I stuffed them with three different types of cheeses and a little bit of crab meats. Insanely good stuff, but probably terrible for me.

Anyway, I had been feeling a little under the weather for most of the day; lack of energy, sore throat, slight headache, etc. When I got off work at 4:30, I walked home and crashed around 5. I'll be damned if I didn't wake up until 9 a.m. today. I woke up, stumbled around like I was drunk, and stood in the shower like a zombie. I still felt like total shit, so I laid back down and passed out yet again. I woke up about an hour ago and I finally feel much more normal. All in all, I nearly slept for the entire day. That's certainly a first.

Day 94: Checked out the Jazz Caverns.

And I had a mocha filet. I've never heard of such a thing. Chocolate and steak mixed together into a odd blend. It was delicious though. I think it's because the wine bled through the mocha taste. Tonight also happened to be open mic night, so I heard some pretty crappy jazz. I'll have to go back when they have somebody of note at the place.

It's a comfy setup on the inside. Plenty of places to chill out around the bar with some friends. They did a good job decorating the place as well.

Day 93: Strange bout of morality.

I kicked my Starbucks habit a couple months ago, but I had a hankerin' for a iced mocha something fierce after laying out in the park before work. After I left the corporate coffeehouse with delicious iced drink in hand, I strolled back up to my apartment. When I emptied my pockets, I realized that they gave me too much money. In fact, I made $5 when attempting to purchase a $4 coffee. Bascially, I gave them a $20 and they gave me back two tens & a five.

So what did I do? I did something I typically wouldn't have done, I returned the money on my way to work. Does Starbucks need the money? Doubtful. Does the barista girl who rung up my coffee deserve to get chewed out by the boss for being short on the register? Not when I can rectify the situation. Anyway, my good mojo was rewarded. The manager gave me a $20 gift card.

In a totally unrelated matter, I picked up Guitar Hero II this morning and I really suck at it. But holy hell, it's addicting. I'm trying to perfect "John the Fisherman" by Primus, "You really got me" by Van Halen, and "Stop" by Jane's Addiction. If anything, it's expanding my musical interests.

Day 92: Worked for UPS for 7 seconds.

Out on my run today after work (gorgeous day!), I was racing back down Main street down by the one-way street near Atlanta Bread Company. Anyway, the UPS guy had already crossed the street with a handcart filled with packages. He didn't seem to notice that he dropped an overnight envelope in the middle of the street and he was about halfway down the next block.

So in one fell swoop, I picked it up without breaking my stride, tossed it on his handtruck, and kept on rolling. I tell ya, I'm like an incredibly weak superhero out to solve the world's mundane problems when I'm running. Then again, the package could have contained something that fate didn't want to make its destination. In that case, I shouldn't have intervened.

Anyway, I realize this isn't anything epic. But I was extra tired after my run, so I've been taking it easy tonight rather than trying something else new.

Day 91: Sketch.

I went into a lovely part of town on this rainy Sunday to hit up the closest pawnshop. I've never been into a pawnshop before. I've been looking for a place to dump my golf clubs, as I never play anymore. It's a bit of an expensive hobby and the darn things are too big to sell on Ebay. Tennis seems much more affordable and better exercise anyway.

So I checked out Luthi's pawn shop. Unfortunately, they offered me absolutely jack shit for the clubs, so they are still in my trunk. Overall, it's a nice store, just in a really sketchy part of town. It's interesting to see how Greenville starts to fall apart when you get a few blocks away from Main Street. It's almost like venturing into a separate, less affluent city.