Jan 17

Jan 17 Routine was the theme...Weekly Weight Update

I've found that the hardest time of year to get into a weekly routine is the month of January. All year long you spend the time trying to get into that rhythm of life. You work to get to the point that you almost have it down to a science and you are going strong. You get your workouts in on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and occasionally Sunday. You go grocery shopping Saturday morning after breakfast out with the family. You spend the evenings hanging out with family at home then going out to do something fun one of the weekend days. Then you spend Sunday trying to sneak in as much relaxation as possible before heading back to the grind on Monday. Usually you figure out the perfect routine on or about November 25. Then Thanksgiving rolls around, then Christmas, then New Year's Eve, and then without even realizing it you have spent the last month rushing and running and partying and your weekly routine has gone right out the door.

Jan 15

Jan 15 Seat Guru

Wesley Clark

Other Stuff, Nerd Stuff

From my blog email thread: You get to plan a dinner party for 4-8 of your favorite writers/artists/musicians/other notable figures, whether dead or alive. Who do you seat next to whom in order to inspire the most fun evening?

Of course this is a common question when trying to provoke a thoughtful discussion. Usually it comes in the form of “If you could grab coffee with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?” or something along those lines. This particular idea just expands upon that notion to create a wider net. Here is my list of dinner party guests.

Jan 12

Jan 12 5 Against 1 – The Inevitable Pearl Jam Blog - The Fans

Wesley Clark

Nerd Stuff, Other Stuff

By late October 2009, Rizzo and I had been dating for over a month (or just about a month depending on which date Rizzo decides we started dating at the time of this posting). Pearl Jam was touring for their album Backspacer with the shows closest to the Washington DC area being in Philadelphia, PA. The band had four shows scheduled on October 27-31 to celebrate(?) the closing of the Spectrum Center. As with every Pearl Jam tour I wanted to make sure to get to at least one concert but was hesitant to go because (1) I didn’t want to go by myself and (2) even through Rizzo and I were really close really fast I wasn’t sure it would be appropriate to invite her out of town for the weekend after only a month of dating.

Luckily for me I found myself a good woman and Rizzo insisted she wanted to go to the show so I better hurry up and find some tickets. Finding tickets in the age of the internet for just about any show, event, or concert is a fairly routine endeavor. Finding tickets that won’t require you to sell a kidney and sacrifice your first born isn’t as easy. I found some nosebleed seats on a third party ticket selling site the only cost my right big toe and 6 pints of blood so I scooped them up. Rizzo and I were heading to Philadelphia to see Pearl Jam on Saturday, October 31, 2009; Halloween.

Jan 10

Jan 10 Cars...Weekly Weight Update

Wesley Clark

Weight Loss & Exercise

This week started off great. After the Sunday morning weigh-in the family came home for some pancakes and eggs for breakfast (as is our Sunday morning tradition that you can read about at Sunday Funday). I had plans to get over to the movie theater with my good friend Steve for a second viewing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens so I hopped in my car to be on my way. That is when my car didn't start.

Jan 8

Jan 8 There Can Be Only One

Wesley Clark

Nerd Stuff

From the dawn of time we came; moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering; when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you... until now.

I love history. Ok, so that may be a bit of an overstatement because I don’t love all history. I find reading about or studying anything that happened after 1865 utterly boring but anything before that time, especially U.S history between 1725 to 1820, absolutely fascinating. I think that is why I was so drawn in to the Highlander universe. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live forever?

For those of you who aren’t familiar let me provide you with a very brief synopsis of Highlander. The movie revolves around Connor MacLeod, as portrayed by Christopher Lambert, an immortal Scottish swordsman who must confront the last of his immortal opponents in order to win the “prize”. I understand that when you write it like this is seems stupid but when you try to boil down any movie or TV show or book down to a single sentence it always sounds stupid.

Jan 5

Jan 5 Road Trip

Wesley Clark

Other Stuff

Road trips are a rite of passage for any family. It may not be the most time efficient but it is certainly the most cost efficient way for a family to get from point A to point B to spend time in another location, be it for a vacation or to spend some time with distant relatives over a holiday season. Road trips can be long and tedious but with a little planning and following some simple guidelines your road trips can be fun(ish) and accomplish your goal of making it through alive.

Jan 3

Jan 3 Bring It On...Weekly Weight Update

Wesley Clark

Weight Loss & Exercise

It is amazing what the right gear can do for a workout. This week consisted of getting back in the swing of things after a 5 day "break" for Christmas down in North Carolina. As I reported last week I was still keeping up with the exercise routine but it was challenging being away from home and since I didn't bring my normal running shoes. I was wearing some heavier cross training/hiking shoes because I didn't want to pack another pair of shoes for the trip. This was a terrible mistake and I was grateful to get back on and put on my running shoes to get out for a run.

Tuesday I was back running and it felt good. I was happy I missed the rainy weather to get in a nice 3.2 mile jog after work.

Jan 1

Jan 1 How to win a first date without really trying

Wesley Clark

Other Stuff

First dates can be can be a challenging and stressful adventure but they are also a necessary evil to overcome. Nobody likes them. Everyone feels a bit of uneasiness and awkwardness during a first date. There are the rare exceptions to the rule when two people that have been friends for years decide that they want to try something more romantic. However, most of the time a first date is a terrifying prospect.

Even with all that can go wrong with a first date there are some easy steps you can take to make your first dates more comfortable and smooth. As an expert in the field (I’m not) I’m here to help you develop a first date strategy that is guaranteed to make you succeed in your dating life. Having successfully landed a mate that is, without question, far out of my league I can state that by following these simple steps you too can land the woman of your dreams. (Note: As I am a heterosexual male these steps will be written in a manner that will allow a man to have a successful first date with a woman. However, these steps can altered by simply changing the pronouns for a woman to successfully plan a first date with a man, a man to have a successful first date with a man, or a woman to have a successful first date with a woman.)

Dec 29

Dec 29 Beer Snob: Ice Cream Sandwich

Wesley Clark

Beer

More and more craft breweries are joining forces with bands or artists or restaurants to produce specialty beers. Those of you in the Washington DC area may be familiar with the brewery DC Brau. DC Brau has produced two beers in collaboration with the popular ska band The Pietasters. The Hanson Brothers (yes, those Hanson Brothers) teamed up with Mustang Brewery to create a pale ale called Mmmhops (I promise this is true) so it wasn't so unusual to find a brewery teaming up with an ice cream company to try and make one of the greatest possible combinations of all time: brown ale and and salted caramel brownie.

Dec 27

Dec 27 Auld Lang Syne...Weekly Weight Update

Wesley Clark

Weight Loss & Exercise

The year was coming to a close and this will be the last Weekly Weight Update of the year 2015. Of course, I didn't weigh in this week because I was traveling for the holiday. That doesn't matter as I suspect my weight has shot up a bit due to the holiday parties and goodies that we all seem to enjoy this time of year.

The week started off with the annual Viar Family Christmas dinner. I refer to it as "Viar" as this was a tradition that I remember beginning with my grandparents, James and Mary Viar (Nana and Pop). The relatives stemming from the Viar family tree would get together and Nana and Pop's house for a meal and exchanging of gifts. The family consisted of Nana and Pop, my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Paul, my cousins Dawn and Daryl, my parents Dave and Sue, my sister Carrie, my grandmother Meemaw, and me. As the "kids" got older (meaning Dawn, Daryl, Carrie, and me) the group expanded to included spouses and grand/great-grand kids. Since Nana and Pop passed away Rizzo and I have hosted the event at our house and it is always a wonderful time with family.

Hi.