a history of me

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I ended having a late night out of town. Allow me to elaborate!

I went to work out early yesterday because my mom had talked about getting together in the afternoon. When I missed her calls around noontime, she opted to do something on our own and instead made plans to go up to Westchester to visit my sister for dinner. I guess Mom thought Salena had come down to the city two nights in a row so we should go up to see her for a change; plus, Mom had not seen Salena's home yet.

Late in the afternoon, as I prepared to leave, Ben called and told me his mom was away for a few days so he was going to host a little BBQ action at his house. Since I was already planning on going to Westchester, I figured it would a good plan to eat with the family and then meet my friends.

Dinner with said family was very nice. We ate at an Italian restaurant in Katonah, right next to the train tracks. There was the occasional rumble when the trains passed, but the food was really delicious. I felt good about everything I ate yesterday, sticking closely to all of my ideals, including dinner.

Once at Ben's, I got to hang out with some folks I hadn't seen in a long time. First and foremost was my friend Scott who has been living and working in Japan for five years now. He has been a big part of my inspiration to pursue a future in Japan and he has also given me much advice by telling me of his good and bad experiences. He last came home two years ago so it was a thrill to see him. Also in attendance was Rene, another one of my sisters friends whom I hadn't seen it at least a year, as well as Ben's sister Kate and her boyfriend Josh.

Even though I had eaten dinner, I couldn't help but partake of some of the grilled delights. They had big cuts of salmon and shark on the grill and shrimp with mixed veggies on skewers. Pretty lean, healthy stuff but I also had a few beers which I know I shouldn't be drinking. Everything was delicious and I don't regret a thing.

It ended up being a very long evening. Kate and Josh left relatively early but the remaining four of us spoke about a variety of subjects for hours. Politics, religion, careers, responsibilities...everything came up at least once. We're all in the same age group (mid-late 20s) so it was reassuring to hear everyone had some similar issues trying to find themselves right now. One very interesting theory Rene offered was that our generation has so many choices in life, it's almost as hard as having no choices at all. All of us grew up knowing that we had (still have, I suppose) the potential to do anything we want(ed) in life. That's an awful lot of pressure to put on a teenager or even a twenty-something youth. Contrast that with someone growing up in the past who was told from day one by their parents, "You're going to be a blacksmith." Thankfully I have direction now but there are still ideas that I wonder if I should put more effort into pursuing. Acting is one of them, which is particularly relevant because Rene and her brother have worked in show business. I'd mention his name but I think that would be a little crass; let's just say that you might have seen him in some character roles but he's hardly famous.

Rene eventually left around midnight, Scott stayed until 4AM, perhaps later. Ben and I stayed up a little while after that. He's been investing some serious time in organizing the scores of Magic cards that I left in his care when I moved out last summer. His goal is to get an accurate-enough inventory of the cards so that he can sell them on eBay. Of course, we would share in the profits because while I spend untold amounts of money on those cards, he is "spending" long hours sorting them all out which is no simple task. If you've never played Magic, don't start. It's an incredibly deep, intellectual and engrossing game BUT it requires an unrealistic investment of money to enjoy.

I returned to the city this afternoon and tried to work out again. I've been very sore since meeting with that trainer which is kind of frustrating. How sore is too sore? Am I in danger of hurting myself if I continue to work out every day? Should I stick to my earlier routine which successfully allowed me to lose weight or do I need to work harder to emulate the trainer's ideas? I wish I had an expert's opinion on this. For free, that is.