As this year has gone on, I found myself needing some new interests. Unfortunately, very little appealed to me.
I finally set the following criteria:
- It could not require hours behind a computer. I spend all day in front of a screen for my job and I can’t do it at home all night and weekend too. I love my camera as a means to take a walk, but hours of post photo processing are not fun.
- I wanted something physically active. It didn’t have to be anything hard core, but I wanted something that was more than sitting around (see the first point above).
- I also wanted something where I could grow and learn, something where I could take classes, ask questions, and experiment to a higher knowledge level.
I settled on:
- Using my Big Green Egg (BGE) smoker more and
- Doing yoga more consistently.
The Big Green Egg forum is a great place to learn more about how to smoke. I’ve also been experimenting with recipes that are not for grilling or smoking. Our local sporting goods store has two employees in the BGE section that don’t mind answering questions when I come in, which is especially helpful when I’m not understanding something from the forum. There are also classes that I plan to take next year.
As for the yoga, I’ve been using an on-line subscription to Yoga International. As with any class, some instructors are better than others with extra instructions of how to do it. I’ve learned a lot watching the videos closely and listening to the do this, be careful not to do that, etc.
Do you like this picture above? As we head into Christmas, the television is full of commercials that what a woman really wants is jewelry (lingerie, new car, etc.). Nah. What some women want is a second, smaller smoker and a hoodie Carhartt sweatshirt to wear on the days it’s cold out there. Something washable that can get wrecked by grease and soot when I’m reaching into the grill to clean it or fill it with charcoal. Something washable when I brush the dogs and get enough hair to clone another one.
It’s hard to see in this picture – but the beagle has lost a lot of weight. His diet is finally working and each time we walk, the harness gets tightened up a bit more.
Of course, he can still pop it over his head anytime he feels like it. Thankfully he’s a good boy and just sits in the middle of the road as I put it back on him. I’ve tried several harnesses on him and he does it with all of them. He collapses those shoulders, digs in those big paws, and off it comes.
