How Now Dry January

The One That Rambles

As January makes its slow (slower slowest) way towards February, we can all agree it is, in fact, the cruelest month. First of all it lasts something like 857 days. It’s cold, regardless of where you live unless your entire part of a state is on fire, of course which is awful. There’s a new (old) guy in charge of things, which is scary. It's almost tax time. Both (and I mean B-O-T-H) of my professional football teams LOST last weekend when neither of them should have, depriving me yet again of a Super Bowl in which I can not lose.

It’s ugly.

And on top of all that, I’m trying to drink less.

Yes, that is what I said.

It’s purely health related. I always slide into the holidays having been to umpteen football tailgates and games wherein I have (usually over)consumed during the fall months. I do my best, mind you. I have a private trainer, I hit the hot yoga room as regularly as I can, I eat…decently, at least for the first 4-5 days of any given week until I am worn down to a nub and willing to treat myself to a metric ton of salt and vinegar chips washed down with a decent sauv blanc while binge watching my favorite doctor shows.

No seriously, we are about 78.5% vegetarian, the other percentages taken up by protein in the form of chicken or fish.

But it’s hard, being in this post-menopausal, post-pandemic-over-consumption, post 55 year old body. So I figure, if I cut out the cups of straight fermented sugar, surely that will lead me back to my pre-55 year old one. (Don’t call me Shirley). So I try.

Honestly, by the time I hit Jan 1 or thereabouts, I am usually so pickled, I actually say to myself, “self,” I say, “I can’t wait to NOT drink.” My liver perks up at that. My brain applauds. My cholesterol levels rejoice.

So, I don’t. Until, when faced with a weekend full of high stakes sports like last weekend, I do.

My Louisville Cardinals basketball team is kicking ass and taking names and I for one am here for it. No, really, we are actually THERE for it, since committing to not just football but also basketball season tickets for the first time in our lives since having them as students when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we all got our news from papers, am radio, and the evening news on (not flat) televisions.

We bit that bullet, hard, taking it between our collective molars and crunching down with relish. We love it, but the “getting there from here” part is challenging, thanks to Hurricane Helene, which deprived us of a truck and also of a crucial part of Interstate 40 which is how we GET to Louisville from where we are in Greenville. What used to be a strait forward 6 sometimes less hours because hubs drives like a bat of of Hades is now at least 7 and many times 8 + hours of meandering through the hollers of NC and then TN making our slow way through tiny towns mostly drowned by that same storm. (and now being told they are sucking at the teat too much and the new (old) guy will make the bad old FEMA go away and stop bother them. While they applaud him. Okay sorry, I digress into my own personal views. I’ll stop.)

BUT anyway, we headed to Louisville last Friday, later in the day than usual and it was a solid 9 hours, ending with a one deflated and one nearly flat tire which was fun since we had to stop and get an inflater thingie and then stop for frequent air top-ups.

We hit the bar of our NuLu hotel in a froth, drank too much bourbon and I spent most of the rest of the night feeling like a freshman who’d just be introduced to bad tequila.

Embarrassing (and gross) but true.

BUT the Cards won their game, extending their streak to 8 games (now 9) won in a row and proving everyone who thought otherwise wrong about Coach Pat Kelsey. That dude is a one man cheering squad, therapist, inspirational speaker, and basketball x’s and o’s genius. I loved him from day one and while we figured winning the games we were supposed to win was good enough this year…it’s turning out to be something much more and much better.

Here we are together, last April. When I was one of a million people dying to talk to him and I’m sure he remembers me, lol. Yes, I am certain that is the same level of excitement in his eyes as I have in mine. Give me this one thing, ok?

I’m back to not drinking this weekend, in mourning on how the rest of that weekend went for my teams as mentioned before. Although I would not turn down a glass of wine or 2 on this fine Friday evening. Ugh. Whatever.

Anwyays….

What’s inspiring me:

My new Shakespeare Quote of the Day Calendar which has proven to be highly motivating and Kelsey-level inspirational. Here are a few of my favs:

What I’m reading:

I am enjoying it. It’s a pleasant twist on the neighborhood hijinks thrillers I enjoy.

What I just finished:

It book is utterly whack. Completely bonkers, but I enjoyed it. Warning: if you are not into uber meta academia insider baseball jargony nonsense, give it a skip.

What I’m listening to:

It’s stressing me out but I am super invested in it.

What I’m watching:

Sorry. It’s an oldie but an excellent goodie and I need comfort watching right now. (See: Eliminating FEMA).

What’s on your screens or on your reading list OR in your glass this weekend?

Here’s mine (It’s kombucha, because, yeah)

(also, Go Commanders and as always GO CARDS!!)

xoxo

Liz