Surprisingly, things have changed in 4 1/2 years

As has probably been obvious I have been struggling for topics the past few weeks and I have finally figured out why that is the case. Pretty much everything that has existed in my go to well of blog ideas is no longer accurate. Lets run through the list…

1) Make fun of Kansas: Still done occasionally but now that I no longer live there I have much less material. I could theoretically spend time making fun of Delaware but to be honest the state is so boring that it really isn’t worth the effort of making fun of it. The posts would be along the lines of “For some reason people in Wilmington feel that jaywalking is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. Not just a quick dash across the street. I mean a leisurely stroll across a four lane street with people driving forty miles an hour. Last week I saw four people (including one who was using a cane) amble across the middle of the street, against the light, on a road that has an expressway on ramp. I slammed on my breaks and I was already stopped at a light.” Just doesn’t seem nearly as interesting.

2) Make fun of the ruling party in Washington: There are many reasons why this blog is called Battling the Current and one would not be apparent unless you have been around since the beginning. I started this site the week after George Bush won reelection and it was my dislike of the current state of politics and the mood of the country that I was battling. Well, now my guy is in charge and anything that I would like to complain about (a rather silly health care plan, the seemingly endless press conferences that ruin my TV schedule) are now my own damn fault. It takes all the fun out of writing about it when all my rants have to start with “I know I voted for the guy but…”

3) Talking about concerts: It is rather surprising but I have not been to a single concert since I moved here. That wasn’t entirely the plan; there have been a few that I have wanted to see but just did not get around to attending. Part of this is good because after doing forty shows a year for four years my ears could use the break. But I do feel a bit out of the music scene. The biggest issue is that opposed to KC where the shows would literally be minutes from my apartment now I have to drive an hour, often to a different state, to see a show. I just can’t pull that off on a school night anymore. I’ve gotten too old.

4) Stories from nights out at the bar: My nightlife routine has drastically altered from my days in KC. Again, most people, particularly my medical staff, would consider that a good thing. It is one thing to know everyone on the staff. It isn’t even a bad sign when they start pouring your drink before you even technically order it. But when you walk in and the bartender tells you that you are late maybe it is a sign that you are spending a little too much time in the place. I would go out more except a) most of the cool bars are a drive from my apartment and hence make me be extremely cautious about how much I drink and b) now that I have a girlfriend my need to be out at the bars is greatly reduced. This leads to the final one.

5) Complaining about my bad luck in relationships: Yes, I know we all loved my bad relationship stories. We all laughed as I had a librarian dump me because I didn’t pay for dinner. Or when the girl I was talking to at the bar ran off with a guy in a penguin suit. Or even the blind date when I asked about her parents only to find out that they had both died when she was in high school thus resulting in the most awkward silence I have ever experienced in my life. Such great memories. Now I find myself saying every day how lucky I am as I find myself living in what can only be described as a movie script, possibly starring John Cusack. I do see myself writing more about my new found good luck in relationships, especially as I still have a few of my bumbling moments, but it might take a little while for me to get there.

So with that out of the way I’ve decided that I will need a few more major topics. Based on the reaction to my post last week I think that documenting my progress on getting in shape will be a big one. Just to level set everyone here is my workout from Saturday, my first time working out in about three months. Three miles on the treadmill, no incline, forty four minutes, and various parts of my body hurt like hell today. Not exactly the proudest moment of my athletic career. Still, this is the start to my goal of losing twenty pounds and breaking 190. Let’s see how long it takes me.

Best of 120 Minutes: I actually heard this song while shopping this weekend. It is still one of my favorite songs from the late 80s. I didn’t even know it was a cover song for a good decade.



The five random CDs for the week:
1) Paul Burch and the WPA Ballclub “Blue Notes”
2) Jay Farrar “Terroir Blues”
3) Richard Thompson “1,000 Years of Popular Music”
4) The Subdudes “Street Symphony”
5) Lisa Hannigan “Sea Sew”