Feb 28, 2017

I worked at Memorial as a gym teacher for the day. Besides having off first block it wasn't bad. The weather was great so we took the kids to the track to run for a little while, but then I had to go inside to the weight room. It smells bad and the kids mess around a lot. Luckily I don't care. My last class I had stay outside longer just because I wanted to be out.

Becca and I went to play a round of disc golf after work to enjoy the weather. Someone had uprooted and dragged the second basket to a new location. It was placed in the ground properly, but I thought it was weird whoever did it wouldn't fill in the other hole. Scott informed me that someone had ripped it out and then the board decided to relocate. I don't care for the change. I went home with the intention of napping, but I ended up just lying in bed on the computer and decided to just go to bed early instead of napping so late.

Feb 27, 2017

I worked at Silver Run covering meetings and helping kids color in Dr. Seuss hats. One of the classes went outside to the playground so it was nice to be out for a while during work, but it made me want to be doing something else. Unfortunately after work and having some food I wasn't motivated to get out and do anything anymore. I went to Becca's when she got home and we watched the new Walking Dead and had an inside night.

Feb 26, 2017

While Becca went to work and to her friends' party I spent most of the day lounging at her place and watching shows. It was a nice day to stay inside, but once she got back later we decided we should get outdoors for a little bit. We did the loops at Silver Run bluffs until it started getting dark. It was nice to just walk them instead of running. As always it felt good to get outside.

We went to Walmart for some supplies and we were hungry and ready for a good dinner when we got home so we cooked up some eggplant parm and added jalapenos and olives as toppings which made it so much better even though they were already great. We enjoyed the foods and then played some Mario Kart Wii.

Feb 25, 2017

Since we got to bed early and realized that the weather wasn't going to be bad until later we decided to make a disc golf day of it. We went to Delaware and started at Brandywine. We had the course to ourselves so early in the day and had a fun round. It was cloudy but already nice temperature.

We went right to Iron Hill next and played the short tees for once. It was fun playing slightly different holes even if some of them didn't change much. We passed by a couple of groups toward the middle of course so it went pretty quickly. It was starting to get warm by this point. This is still one of my favorite holes aesthetically. The first part of it is just long.

We had worked up an appetite so we headed to Drop Squad Kitchen for some V Steaks and soup for lunch. We sat in the lawn chairs along the river and enjoyed this view while we scarfed down half of our sandwiches. They're so salty, but so good.

Next up we decided to try out Greenridge DGC in Newark. A guy at Camp Sankanac told me about it and said I would enjoy it. It's still a little rough around the edges, but overall it's a great, fun course. This area where the trees had recently fallen isn't part of the design obviously, but it did make for a uniquely challenging shot. Some of the holes seemed unnecessarily tight and not thought out. We each put our disc in the water at least once, and I had to take the long way across a flowing stream and climb down to retrieve one from the other side of a riverbank. All said, I would definitely play this one again.

I was kind of surprised it was still somewhat early in the afternoon after that long course, so after sitting on the park bench and having our leftovers at Greenridge we headed to White Clay Creek to play one last round before the rain. It had been a long time since I'd played so I forgot a lot about this one. It's a fun short course to contrast all the long ones we played earlier. It's a nice little gem and I definitely like it more than Lum's Pond. We'll need to get out here once more before we leave.

We were just about to go to Iron Hill Brewery when Chuck told me we were invited to Alex's Dad's birthday party at the sailing club. We drove home in the torrential downpour of rain, picked up a few growlers at Glasstown, and headed over to join the party. We met some of the family, played a couple of stupid party games that we were goaded into, and mainly just spent the time talking and having a good time. I'm glad we went. We left with a couple tubs of hummus to boot.

Feb 24, 2017

When I started my day at Silver Run my meeting schedule left much to be desired as far as free time on such a beautiful day. As it turned out the first two meetings I wasn't needed so I had two hours off right off the bat! I went to Becca's and we immediately headed to the park to play disc golf. I thought we could play the long tees for a change. Well, I was once again reminded why we don't. They're not much fun and some aren't much different. And Becca ended up throwing her disc into the thick brush on hole 10. We used my hoodie as armor and she got her disc back.

I had to go back to work for one meeting, but then I had a long lunch so I met Becca again for Wildflower lunch at Corson Park. It was so nice out. I want to have more meals outdoors.

After going back for a very short time I was done early so Becca, Chuck, and I went to Glasstown. I was excited to try the Super C, their new IPA with Centennial, Citra, and Chinook? hops. It was very citrusy and delicious and maybe my new favorite IPA there.

We had a great time and ended up staying for a long time. Adrian even cruised through! Chuck pretended to be grumpy. It was a proper evening at the bar. 

Feb 23, 2017

I worked at Memorial for a Social Studies class in the morning. At first I thought it would be a long day with fourth block off, but it ended up being great to get done work early and be able to go out to play disc gold with Ryan and Becca. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Alycia and I took advantage of the weather as well, albeit a little later than we planned since she got stuck at work and in traffic. We had a nice bike ride through her area as the sun was going down. It started getting a little dark so we turned around.

We were still a way from her house when I felt my tire go flat. I didn't have a spare tube so she had to ride home and get her car to pick me up. I walked a long way before she got there to keep occupied and people really don't yield to pedestrians on a road with no shoulder. We went to get dinner at a Chinese place after deciding not to meet Chuck and Alex in Mount Holly. It was just too far and we were already late. After we ate we went to Target and killed some time before going to Telford Inn for trivia with her friends. The upside of this was that Becca could join us. It was a bit awkward with the seating and already established team, but we had fun on our end playing together.

Feb 22, 2017

I worked at Holly Heights covering meetings with a new CST person. It was a decently easy day. I spoke to Ryan from Flo-Foto on the phone about upcoming races. Even though I canceled our ski trip this weekend because he wanted me to go to possibly go to Florida it turns out he won't need me for a few weeks for our new race. The day went by pretty quickly. Becca and I headed up to The Abbaye for a standing room only start to the Evil Genius U Buy the Glass Night. We got a table within a half hour so we were saved.

We ordered our cheesesteak and wings and the beer was amazing. The O'Doyle Rules IPA was great as was the Hooray! Sports! and the Han Shot First DIPA. They also had Purple Monkey Dishwasher on which is always great, but I don't have it much. Christie came to join in on the fun a little later. I'm glad she could make it out. We had a great time there and ended up staying later while our waiter kept on pouring beer after the event was over. I drank quite a bit and it was a great night!

Feb 21, 2017

I had a fairly mundane day of work at Vineland Memorial where I had a decent amount of time to sit and edit photos in the break room. I had some coverage and classes to cover, but it was mostly quick until the end of the day. After work Ryan came over to play some Mario Kart for a little while and then I went home for a bit. I went to Becca's later to hang out and watch this week's Walking Dead. So mundane I didn't take any photos today.

Feb 20, 2017

I woke up after a nice night of sleep and decided to go through some of the stuff in the garage that I might be able to sell online or get rid of if needed. I made the progress of taking photos but not actually posting anything.

Becca finally had her big test in the morning so after she got done with that we headed to Stafford Woods DGC to play a round. The leaves there are ridiculous and I ended up losing my ZZ Buzzz on hole 13. We looked for the better part of a half hour before finally giving up and leaving. We went to Yards and got some flights, including one of very dark beers. The Golden Hop IPA was great and so was the Heavy Manners coffee stout. Quality work as always.

We tried going to Memphis Taproom, but they changed their happy hour and since that was the main reason we decided to go there we left. We made a brief stop at 2nd Story Brewing which was uncharacteristically disappointing as well. Next stop was the packed out Loco Pez for beers and food. They had a good beer on so that was a nice start. We were waiting to be seated when we spotted two spots open at the bar so we grabbed them.

We got this pile of deliciousness along with a couple tacos and all the disappointments of the evening faded away. We went to Little Baby's for an ice cream finisher afterward and walked back to the car happy and stuffed. Along the way I spotted a ten dollar bill on the ground! Then I saw a one dollar bill. Thus began the scouring of the general vicinity which turned up three more dollars. The night really turned around and ended up being really fun.

Feb 19, 2017

I got up a little later than planned of course because I slept at home. I managed to get to French Creek State Park pretty quickly anyway. The disc golf course parking area is closed off in winter so I had to park and walk a bit to find it. I started on hole 18 and eventually found my way to the course. I was not having a good start to the round and it didn't improve all that much. The course feels cramped and tight the whole way, but that could be because I wasn't playing so well. It's not a course I tend to want to return to.

I hurried to Camp Sankanac to get there for doubles at 11:30. Although there were a ton of cars there no one knew about this doubles tournament that supposedly happens weekly. Before several big groups started playing I hopped on and started off on my own. I ended up joining another guy on hole 7 since we were both playing solo and there would be no point trying to pass one another.

The course itself is great. The layout is varied and fun, with all types of shots and lengths. It's challenging but not terribly annoying like French Creek felt. I was glad to have someone to share it with.

When I got back to the first tee there were a bunch of people standing around talking about playing doubles. They asked if I was in so I said yes straightaway and we got to pairing off. The second time around I feel like I didn't shoot quite as well as the first and my partner wasn't a great help at picking up any of my slack. It was still a perfectly beautiful day and a great course to play twice. It was nice to play with a bigger group and get to know some people there. Definitely will be returning to this one.

I decided to go to Tired Hands on my way back to Philly. I sat down next to a guy at the bar and we chatted for a very brief time about nothing of great importance, yet he offered to buy my first beer as he was heading out the door. Really nice guy. I started with the Pink Noise, a raspberry lemon IPA that tasted like grapefruit. I had some good beers and another good conversation with another man that came in and sat on the other side of me. We talked about great beer, photography, travel, and our idiot president. Not a bad night.

It wasn't over yet; I met Christie and Tracy at The Abbaye for dinner where I got my own wings after a full day of salivating about them. We sat outside and enjoyed the nice cool night air with our meal. Since the weather was still nice we finished our beers and walked to Barcade for one more drink before heading over to the Fillmore.

We got inside shortly before Less Than Jake opened with "All My Best Friends are Metalheads" to kick off a really fun set. The place wasn't really packed which made for a nice wide open circle pit to dance in for an hour. I had a really good time and I'm always happy when I get a chance to see them live. It was quite a day and I was happy to get home to bed where I didn't have to set an alarm for the morning.

Feb 18, 2017

I woke up after a nice night of sleep in my car and got right back on the road toward Yetter Park DGC. I thought I had been here before, but it didn't look at all familiar. It was a little chilly out, but I warmed up quickly walking the small hills along the river. The course followed a nice path so it wasn't difficult to navigate and I had the place all to myself so early. The sky was beautiful as the sun came up and the clouds separated into beautiful dots. It was a nice course with a little snow and only one disc that almost ended up in the water. I did pretty well to start.

Next I went to Jordan Creek, where I skipped a couple of holes in the beginning to miss the groups starting there. I figured it would be packed by the time I finished. I ended up having the course all to myself the whole time as well. There was a new hole 5 that was much better than the old one, and I threw nicely across the frozen pond. It was getting warm by the time I finished.

I was getting hungry by that time so I went to Wegman's and got way too much food from the hot bar then headed over to Vegan Treats to get myself some ice cream and picked up a couple of those delicious banana chocolate chip cookies for me and Becca for later.

Little Lehigh DGC was surprisingly not crowded either so I happily got started to beat the crowds I kept expecting. They never came at all and the one small group on the course I passed in the middle. By this point I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt after starting the morning with long pants, a hoodie, and a beanie. I had a lot of fun at this course and the weather was definitely a big part of that.

I played Nockamixon next. I've played it a couple of times, but I always forget which one it is by name. It starts out with a beast of an 800 ft. narrow fairway covered in rocks and trees. After that it is a bit more forgiving, but the landscape improves dramatically. It's beautiful and hilly and there are little waterfalls and steep drop-off shots.

This was the longest course of the day by far, and while I had no holdups, there were quite a few groups out on the course. Toward the middle I came across a credit card sitting in the mud and started playing quickly to try to catch up with the owner. I passed a few groups before finally stumbling upon the card's human and reunited the two. I finished out the last few holes of the game with the two guys who suggested a few good courses and also some good music. It was a happy ending to the story.

I had time for one more course so I went straight to Tinicum Park, another course I've played at least twice and would never have remembered the name of. It was mostly open with a few nice little wooded holes mixed in, including one tight shot through a straight line of trees that I remembered very well. One of my shots skipped hard to the left and I heard a strange sound when I dropped off the edge which turned out to be the disc breaking through the ice. I was surprised there was any ice left since it had been in the 70s all day, but it was thin so I was able to break through and get it pretty easily.

After 5 courses and 90 holes I was done for the day as the sun set. It was a great day and I was really happy that I called the audible to do this. I set a course for Philly and The Abbaye and I was off. I picked up my order and ate the cheesesteak in the car watching Netflix on my phone. I headed back to Millville to see Becca for a little bit and give her the vegan wings and cookies I got for her. We sat and watched TV while nibbling on delicious banana chocolate chip cookies.

Feb 17, 2017

After a morning of hanging with Becca, packing up my stuff, and then unsuccessfully trying to install a copy of Microsoft Office on her computer I headed north on the Turnpike on the way to New York. Quite a while into my drive I realized I had forgotten to put my bike in the car, and that was the main reason I wanted to go to the city in the first place. I took a beat to consider my options and decided to make it a disc golf outdoor weekend since it was supposed to be in the 60s. I went to Greystone Woods DGC, where I encountered a lot of snow and mud. The course was fun, but it was a little too muddy so I stopped after 9 holes.

I went to Whole Foods for dinner and sat there on my computer downloading a few things and watching Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee while I chatted with Ryan about skiing. Next stop was REI, where I finally got myself a patch for my sleeping pad. To my surprise the tape patch worked amazingly well and quickly. I'll be carrying that stuff with me.

I found a rest area along I-80 in north Jersey where I could park for the night and got settled fairly early. It was a nice place to park and no one bothered me. I watched some things including Happy Christmas as I got comfortable and fell asleep in the back.

Feb 16, 2017

I woke up early thinking I would enjoy my hour or so before work. Instead I spent that entire time on the phone with Comcast because they are the worst company ever and the internet was out yet again even though we just got a new modem installed. So after that lovely start my day at Memorial wasn't bad. I only had 3 meetings, but the first one went on for TWO HOURS. I hardly had time to get lunch. At least my last class was an easy one. I went right to PT after that and did the things I always do.

I also saw this dog sitting like a human in the front seat of a van when I left. That made me laugh. I went to Becca's after she was done working. We had some dinner and watched La La Land before bed. It was a pretty good movie. Neither of us had any idea what to expect yet it was surprising.

Feb 15, 2017

I had quite an easy day covering meetings at Vineland Memorial. My light schedule allowed me to get a good amount of editing done in the break room and my long lunch gave me a chance to go to Landis Park for a full round of disc golf on the clock. It was a pretty nice day so I couldn't pass it up.

I went to Becca's later where we made this colorful and delicious scramble-ish thing. Lots of broccoli. We looked some things up for future plans and watched some Californication before I headed home for the night.

Feb 14, 2017

The meetings were nice and easy at Silver Run. I sat in a first grade class while they decorated Valentine's Day bags with hearts. I had about two hours so I went home and had lunch, caught up on some shows, and called Comcast because the internet was out. I came back after lunch for two more meetings and I was done by 2.

I went to Anytime Fitness to pick up some free passes and, since I was right there, I decided to finally get that haircut I've been talking about for a while now. The lady who did it took a long time, but she was nice. I don't think I like it as much as the last time I got it done, but at least I know it will grow fast.

After spending one full hour talking to the Comcast rep trying to get the new modem working I was done and I headed to Becca's to spend the night with Lilo watching movies. I think she enjoyed them. I got into a movie binge starting with Joshy, which I really liked. Subsequently I watched Drinking Buddies and Search Party. I'm enjoying that genre right now. I got to bed pretty late, but it's okay because I napped a little on the couch.

Feb 13, 2017

I worked at Memorial for a science class where we watched an episode of the White Rabbit Project in a couple of classes and I sat around not doing much in the others. I actually did get some editing done during the last block at least. I came home for a little bit before going to physical therapy and going through the motions pinching putty and getting zapped. It felt like it went by quickly this time at least. I came home and had a nap then spent the rest of the night just relaxing.