So, I just got back from my triumphant return to the gym, after over a week's hiatus. Actually, truth be told, it was something less than triumphant. I'm not lifting anywhere near the level I was before the onset of the sore throat. I still feel a bit like a deflated balloon, but I guess that's to be expected. I shed at least 5lbs. as a result of that whole ordeal, and it couldn't just have been body fat. :(

Anyway, I did have a good workout, and I felt rather famished when I got home. So I decided to have a snack. To this point, I've had a bowl of Cheerios with skim milk, two spoonfuls of natural, no-salt peanut butter, and a piece of hot pepper jack cheese. Wow, do I love pepper jack cheese. I used some of it in the wrap I had for supper. They had some new kind of spinach & herb tortilla shells specifically for wraps at the store today, so I went ahead and bought a pack. The wrap consisted of plain hummus, brocolli slaw, medium salsa, and a slice and a half of the pepper jack cheese. I bought some black beans that I had intended to drop in, but I forgot to do so.

While I'm on the topic of food, for lunch I had some killer whole-wheat, spinach spaghetti with a most excellent garden primavera sauce. Ted thinks the noodles look gross because they're green, but I think it's quite tasty.

I don't know why I'm talking about food so much right now. I'm not even hungry anymore. My bad.

I probably shouldn't have waited until so late to work out because now I'm feeling a little hyper. Hence, I'm sitting here typing away instead of trying to go to sleep. Jason just got home, and of course the dogs started barking. I really like chihuahuas, but if you're in the market for a non-jittery, sleep-through-Armageddon kind of dog, then don't get one. Trust me on that.

Tomorrow I have the day off. I don't really have a clear picture of what I'm going to do. Sure, I could make a list of things I need to do, but where would the fun in that be? The boys' state basketball tournament is in town, so I suppose I'll avoid the mall. I'm probably going to go and get a new phone. I've been eyeing the Samsung A900 for a while, and since I have some credit, I think it's time for an upgrade. So, I guess a trip to the Sprint store is in order. I really don't have anything set in stone until 5:15p, whereupon it will be time for a haircut.

I do so look forward to basking in the glory of my short, efficient, German, non-hippie hair.

I'll also probably stop by the fake-bakery, better known as Tanning Zone. I'm tired of looking pasty, and I enjoyed going through last summer without burning so much that I think I'll do so again. We really need to start planning another tubing excursion.

Speaking of hippies, today I was taking my groceries out to my car after work when I saw a car covered with bumper stickers parked next to me. They contained all the usual "Republicans=evil, Capitalists=Conformists, etc. etc." rhetoric. For all their talk of being the party of so-called open-mindedness, tolerance, ideas, and whatnot, the other side of the fence is every bit as adept as the GOP at falling into lock step when it comes to regurgitating their talking points.

Sorry, I almost started a rant there.

You know, I kind of want another tattoo. I'm supposed to give blood in May, though, so I'll have to wait until after that to even think about it.

Speaking of donating, I don't think that I've mentioned how I used to donate plasma all the time back when I was a junior at UNL. Ted, Mike, and I would go all the time. It was a blast. We'd go in, watch a free movie, squeeze out a pint of plasma, and walk out with $15-$35. We'd invariably spend said cash on beer. Almost immediately, in many cases. That couldn't have been healthy. I think I packed on a solid 20lbs. that semester. I didn't really work out at all that first semester because I felt drained as a result of donating plasma all the time.

The funniest part was always during the pre-donation screening. An employee would take you to a booth, where they'd draw some blood to test for disease, drugs, etc. Then they'd ask you a list of questions, complete with illustrations, to make sure that you hadn't received any piercings or tattoos, contracted HIV, done any drugs, or been to Africa in the previous year or so. They'd always ask the guys if they'd had same-sex sex in the previous year, too. We'd always laugh at this part because the illustration included a picture of two guys with beards groping each other.

If that isn't comedy, I don't know what is.

Tomorrow night (well, technically tonight, as it's after midnight now) I think Angie and I are going to see "Ultraviolet." It features swords, Milla Jovovich, and a futuristic dystopia; in general, the kind of stuff I endorse in a movie. I also kind of want to see that movie "Failure To Launch," which features Sarah Jessica Parker and Terry Bradshaw.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating:



Women love the Bradshaw.

I'll leave you now so that you might properly meditate upon this.