Next Tuesday marks my three year anniversary at Capital One. I'm pretty sure I've "retired" more times than Brett Favre, but somehow I always end up changing my mind.

On a side note, I'm completely addicted to the Stanza and Kindle apps on the iPhone. There are a crazy number of eBooks available from Project Gutenberg. Kind of makes me regret buying a Kindle, since the iPhone reader is actually pretty good.

Some things never change, I guess. I've been procrastinating all weekend on some work I have to finish by tomorrow, and now I have absolutely no time to spare. So of course, I spent a few hours this morning in bed listening to the rain.

Dinner consisted of supremely awesome burgers and hot dogs from the grill. Breakfast this morning was another protein shake and two toaster strudels.

I was getting annoyed with the size variance with each serving in the 3 lb bags of frozen chicken from Kroger, so this last trip to Costco I picked up 7 lbs of individually-wrapped Perdue chicken breasts. Seven minutes on the Foreman later, verdict was in- we have a new winner. The best part was the chicken didn't get soggy like the Kroger kind does when grilled without thawing overnight.



That same trip, I picked up something to snack on that wouldn't wreak as much havoc as the standard bag of Doritos I was going through. Fudgsicles are awesome.

Flash back to the week after Memorial Day: I was at a happy hour send-off for a friend that was shipping out to work for eBay in sunny California. A few beers in, Vince challenges me to a bet to see who could drop to 180 lbs by Labor Day. Four months to lose 40 lbs? Possible, but not likely. But why not? The stakes aren't outrageous ($200 either way), and winner gets bragging rights.

Here I am roughly two months in and two months to go, and I still have around 32 lbs to go. Still possible, but it's going to suck. I've been okay about working out regularly again, but too many slips with happy hours and eating out. So for the next two months it's going to be boring but reasonably healthy food as often as I can manage it. Lunch at work will be tricky since I hate packing, but I'll manage.

Breakfast this morning was a protein shake, and lunch was grilled mahi mahi with vegetables. It wasn't bad, although I think next time I'll yank it off the grill a minute or so sooner. A dash of salt and some pepper is the only seasoning I use on anything, but it does the trick.

Anyway, back to work...

Woke up this morning to an odd pain in the back of my throat - felt like there was a metal cube or something lodged in there. I stumbled into the bathroom to look in the mirror, and my uvula had swollen by literally three or four times. One Google search and an ice cream sandwich later, went back to bed (or in my case, couch).

Gastroenteritis sucks. The only walking I've done all day is from couch to bathroom and back, with a few stops to the fridge for water. I think I'm done with Taco Bell for awhile.

You know what grinds my gears?

1. People who don't understand the concept of urinal etiquette.


2. Dude that always waits until someone else makes coffee in the morning before going into the galley. It takes ten seconds guy, just put a filter in, dump in pack o' Folgers, flip the switch, and everyone's happy.
   
   
3. NOVA drivers who think it's acceptable to make a U-turn from the second lane.
   

On an unrelated note, I was prompted to create three security questions on the OLB page for one of my credit cards. Each slot gave a choice of four or five pre-filled potential security questions. How bad is it that I had absolutely no idea what the answers were to any of the questions for slot two?

- Your paternal grandmother's first name
- The name of the hospital you were born in
- The city your parents were married in
- Your maternal grandfather's first name

After a year back in Northern VA, I'm moving again in about ten days. It's times like these that make me glad that I can fit my entire life in one trip in my car.

So lazy. I'm trying really hard not to completely check out at work before I officially transition to my new team, but it's not easy.

The 24 teaser got me wondering (again) how many votes Dennis Haysbert (David Palmer) would have gotten if he actually ran for President. Hell, I would have voted for him, even if he hocks shitty insurance products. Anyway, except for a few emo moments with that annoying kid, that two hour special got me psyched for Season 7 - I think I skipped Season 5, so I'll probably waste a lot of Thanksgiving break watching that.

Speaking of wasting time, I finally got around to finishing Valkyria Chronicles today. The last few parts dragged on a bit, but the storyline ended nicely. I hope a sequel is in the works, but I get the feeling that despite rave reviews, the game is a little too niche to get enough commercial success to justify a sequel.

If you're as sick as I was of hearing about that Twilight movie, check out last week's South Park -
these guys are so good at what they do.