Rough one, “Four” stars, no clapping, AGT still awful
So I was back and forth if I wanted to get up to do the club run Saturday morning. My legs and rear end were still both quite sore from my leg work on Wednesday at the gym. Well my exercise guilt won out and I drug myself out of bed to go to the run.
There was a big crowd at the club run this week, possibly the biggest I have seen to date. Ali, Christy and Michelle were there as well. I once again paired up with Matt and despite my legs feeling shitty, he drug me along to what I believe was my best time for the 7 mile route which surprised me.
I asked Ali if she minded if I picked up the dogs on the way home so they could spend the day out at the house, she said it was fine. I had a productive day at home getting everything I wanted done, done. For most of my time outside the dogs hung out there with me, laying in various shady spots. It felt damn close to summertime hot out there.
After I got done I jumped in the pool and gave Sadie her first splashy splash session in a long time, she loved it of course.
I also gave the Tacoma a bath for the first in many months. The truck does not get cleaned very often anymore since the exterior finish is a mess at this point from a decade plus in the Florida elements. Even so, it did look a little better when I was finished.
I went an extra step and finally got around to using the headlight renewal stuff I bought months back. The headlights on the Tacoma had that dull glaze that is so common. After about 15 minutes of work I had both headlights looking significantly better.
On the way to drop the dogs off we made a pit stop at Pet Supermarket to get them some food. In addition I couldn’t help myself, I had to buy the stuffed tick dog toy I walked by. Ali laughed when I showed it to her.
When I dropped the dogs off it was right around 5:30. Ali said she bought the stuff to make some pesto pasta thing, so she asked if I wanted to stick around for dinner. I didn’t have anything planned for my Saturday night beside some Diablo 3 sessions so I said sure. Ali said it was the first “dinner” she has actually prepared since living there. It was quite good.
After eating dinner I didn’t stick around too long. I have been conscious of how much time Ali and I have been spending together thus far since we split up and although it is still quite comfortable for me to just hang out with her I don’t think it helps either of us do much moving forward. So even though I would have been fine to hang around and watch some stuff on her DVR and hang with the dogs, I headed home.
Sunday morning I once again had another exercise session, this time doing a biking/swimming brick. My average bike pace was a 1/2 mile faster than the week prior. I increased the distance of my swimming from 1200 to 1600 meters. I was happy with both of those results.
Once again I took the SSR and once again I was happy I did.
After I finished my swimming I hung out at the water park for a little bit, reading one of my magazines. I peppered in people watching as well.
When I got home I was feeling really sleepy. After I got done paying the bills I succumbed and laid down for a 2 hour + nap.
Sunday evening I made a lackluster attempt at the normal mode of this month’s Bar-barian challenge. I then threw in my current Netflix dvd rental, I Am Number Four. I don’t recall what triggered me to put this in my queue but I had no big expectations for the flick.
Well it turned out to be something I really liked, hell I’d give it a solid A. It has several elements that appeal to me, aliens, super hero powers, good looking women and a revenge storyline. Rent it, you won’t be sorry.
As I am sure you have heard, Howard Stern, whom I have been a big fan of for over 20 years, and the only reason I endure shitty Sirius/XM radio,has joined America’s Got Talent as a new judge this season.
When the show first came out a few years ago I checked it out since it was getting big ratings. I didn’t get it, I found the show INCREDIBLY annoying and overproduced. After watching three or four episodes I never went back.
Well since Howard is now a judge I thought it had to be better, surely by now they got smart and made the show less annoying. I set the show up for a season pass on my Tivo. Well I barely made it through the two episodes so far, it is just awful, let me see if I can explain why.
The way they piece the show together is dreadful. They do so many cut away shots between the judges, the host, the act and the audience you hardly ever get to just watch an act and make your own assessment. Most of the acts they only show some brief highlights wedged in between the endless cut aways. They have so many music beds playing on top of the judge comments and even the acts themselves that they could open up a hotel with them. They will also apply a video filter to certain aspects of the show to give it an epic, movie look which seems totally out of place.
I hoped that having Howard on the show would help negate all of this but his commentary was butchered up and fragmented by the idiots in the editing room. I found that he added very little to my enjoyment of the show. I will suffer through a couple more episodes but I have a feeling even with Stern on, AGT it will be short lived in my season pass list. I have too many potential good things to watch to waste my time watching that piece of shit.
It feels like it is produced for the absolutely dumbest segment of the American tv audience.
This past weekend has probably been my roughest emotionally since Ali moved out. Why this would occur 6 weeks after her move out date is beyond me. I just felt sad, like I was mourning everything that had become routine and familiar over the past 15 years. It seemed like everything I saw as I walked around the house triggered a “that was when Ali and I did this or that” response. I just couldn’t get my mind out of that mode.
I know that wallowing in sorrow doesn’t do any good. I just need to keep trying to reach outward and forward instead of retracting inward. Isolating myself would be a very easy course of action after all.
I really miss the dogs.