The Other Don Kelly

There was no concert tonight to go to, but except for that the last few days have been extraordinarily full: I got in a ride on Saturday and today (and did a “practice event” for BikeSmart Lehigh Valley on Saturday), got in some pretty decent practice sessions with the cello, and went to local concerts on Saturday and Sunday. I’d consider those days seized…

It’s not the “medically-induced” kind of munchies, but I have been hungry and eating all day. Bacon and eggs for breakfast, some leftover beef & beans & rice for lunch, chicken soup for dinner, and slices from a blueberry tart all day, plus candy. I just finished dinner, and I am hungry right now…

I basically ate a slice of cake and a bratwurst yesterday, so maybe it’s just that I am running on empty. Yesterday was the big CAT 25th Anniversary celebration, and in the morning we were busy helping to put it together: Anne made the giant cake and some iced tea, we took things over to the Library around 1:00, spent some time setting things up, and the event itself started, with the cutting of the cake and the obligatory speeches, at 3:00. (Since this was also CAT’s annual meeting, there were also things like treasurer’s reports and such.) We even got to see a short film, made about CAT maybe 10-15 years ago. There were volunteer awards, and more speeches and more cake, and then it was time to clean up and go. A few of us got a little party going afterward, outside at the Sun Inn: Main Street was bustling, the day was cooling but still warm, and it was really pleasant to sit outside with friends at a beer garden — that was where I got that brat. A pleasant day, and it felt good to see all the evidence of CAT doing as well as it is has been lately.

Today was colder again, and rainy in the morning, and we’ve just been hanging out. I’ve been kneading my “trail amenities” database, trying to get it into a more professional, normalized form, and (now that I got through the log-jam that was The War of the Gods) I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Foundryside.

It turned that my headache problem wasn’t allergies, sinus or whatever after all. My nose was stuffy, sure, but what was really going on was that I had a stiff neck: I’d been lifting weights lately and pulled something in my neck or upper back; between that and the long car ride, the whole area between my shoulders was one huge knot. One day out XC skiing and it all loosened up again, and I felt great. Perfect!

Of course, we’re back home now, so there’s that, but we did have a great few days away. We got to see Burlington, by day and by night, and we — finally! — got in a bit of winter fun too. (It snowed here overnight, ironically enough.) Now we’re getting back into the swing of things, and I also started (today) playing easy duets with Donna H. I guess we did OK, but we’re both beginners and it shows…

Seen on my neighborhood ride-about, a mural of Calypso Island at West End Park.

I’ve got a few spam blockers, and a lot of blacklisting, running on the site, but every so often something slips through…

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I feel kind of embarrassed for them, really — a proposal to add video (as if that’s hard), to “increase business” on a, you know, personal blog, just in time for “pivot to video” to collapse into a punchline, all written in a style that’s both chatty, and reminiscent of a middle-schooler who’s not keeping up with their homework.

Listening: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, “Oh Susannah.”

We saw Anita Hill the other night at Zoellner. It was a really good (and sadly timely) speech, to a packed and appreciative crowd. I looked around at the women who were there, especially the women of color, many of whom knew, from experience, exactly what she was talking about, and couldn’t help but think about the white governor of Virginia, currently engulfed in a racist controversy, while the black but male vice-governor is engulfed in a sexual misconduct scandal. Democrats! C’mon guys… But they were products of privilege in one way or another, exempt from accountability until now. Maybe from now on we should be looking outside this privilege bubble for leadership…

Anyway, I feel a rant coming on, let’s change the subject.

I’ve been feeling pretty bad since the Chili Contest, and now I know why: I caught a cold which as been building and colonizing me this week. It peaked Thursday and has been receding since; I woke up today feeling much better, surprisingly better even if I’m not 100%. Vito’s wife used to say that cold weather kills germs in winter, and here it is, sunny but freezing again. Coincidence?

We’ve also had some sad news this week: the girlfriend of a young friend passed away. It’s been a terrible situation — “nightmare” is the word that keeps coming to mind. Rest in peace Katie — she was only 32.

It’s the day after the Superbowl of Chili, and I’m feeling a little bit ratty, which is a bit strange considering our behavior. It was just Eric R and myself who went this year, and we were pretty restrained. We had a couple of beers while eating chili, but there was no afterparty, no bar-hopping; we grabbed some coffee at the Easton Market afterward, and then just grabbed a Lyft home. (I actually saw the second half of the game later. Boooorring!!!)

So I’m not sure what’s going on, but I was headachey last night and I’m tired today. Sinuses or congestion? Chili and indigestion? Low tolerance, a slow-acting hangover? No idea, but today has the feel of a wasted day.

The chili contest itself was actually pretty cool. There were fewer restaurants competing, and fewer people attending (which may be a good thing from my point of view, since the place can get crowded), but the chili recipes, especially the ones from the newer contestants, were a quantum leap up from those in years past. There was a great deal of skillful and appropriate spice/ingredient mixing, as opposed to the tired, old, “this one goes to eleven” Scoville units pissing contest. I guess others saw things the same way because my favorite, from Braveheart Highlands Pub, won both Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice awards.

Saturday was a visit down to my parents, where my cousin JoAnn was also visiting from Long Island. She’s a few years older then I am, and she and Ed both just retired, and it was really fun to catch up, trade family gossip and talk genealogy for a bit. Chris and Tara also came over, and Mom made a lasagna dinner. I didn’t get home until pretty late, but it was a nice day.

I don’t know what the groundhog had to say Friday, but I’m guessing we have another six weeks of winter coming: it’s been sunny the past few days, and the weather has moderated from the deep freeze we’ve been having. It’s unseasonably warm right now, like 56 degrees out, but I think the cold is supposed to be back soon.