Yes, we have a year to go and it is a road less traveled to be sure. We had a terrific holiday this year and all in all we survived the travel, the shopping, the family, and all the anxiety each and every one of those things bring this time of year. I feel pretty good about it all and quite satisfied that we saw the people we needed to see, we got the gifts that we deserved at the end of the day, and we accumulated the right kind of karma when all was said and done. Although I can't speak for my significant others, I will say that I made all the right choices relative to food over the holidays. I had no desire whatsoever for anything remotely refined, remotely unhealthy, or anything that I might have eaten long before I began the journey on which I now find myself. So, that's good. Or, as the yout of today might say, "it's all good."

I contacted a local farm here in town that sells bison and inquired about pricing and availability. I've been making chili at least once a week and have always gone out of my way to buy 93% fat free beef or even leaner when possible for use in the chili. I even add chicken sausage to the recipe which makes for a healthier and more diverse concoction. You can't tell the difference after adding all the spices and usual condiments (lowfat cheddar cheese, onions, etc.) after the fact. We'll see what the farm has to say but I'm sure to want to do business with them even if it costs more to do so. It is true that healthier food may cost more, but it is also true that you not only eat less of it but what you eat is better for you. Before I forget the other side of the equation, I should say that I signed up at the local gym for their year-end sale where they were charging $99 for a year's membership. My 10-mile a day biking trips during the spring, summer, and Fall of this year have now gone off-road.

Off-road has meant using the treadmill here at home. It has not been as grinding on my knees as I anticipated nor as painful in the day-to-day use of the machine. I worried needlessly about biting into family time but was otherwise insistent about getting in my time even if it meant forgoing dinner with the family. When you are a 9 to 5 kind of guy, which I most certainly am, you need to make sacrifices where necessary in order to get the job done. More often than not, the family waited and found other things to do while I put in my time just so we could sit down together. I'm not sure how getting an outside gig at the local gym changes that but getting it done before I reach my doorstep somehow seems onerous if only to me. Is there any relief for the wicked?

Nancy took the Ev Man and a bud of his skating at a local rink earlier today. That gave me a chance to catch a breather so I went to the gym and got some shopping done and just barely through the door at home before they returned. I must say the timing was perfect. It was a beautiful day here on the coast. Had it been a tad warmer, I would most certainly have gone for a bike ride. Can you imagine? It's probably not a reach to say that one can, if one wants, go for a bike ride each and every month of the year. That is not my New Years resolution by the way. Being the procrastinator that I am, I am still working on coming up with a resolution worth making. Put more aptly, it's probably more a matter of choice since there are lots of resolutions worth making. Writing more in this here blog works for me as I sit here doing what I like to do best. Then again, I'm thinking of taking up the guitar. We'll see.