My birthday money from my Granny arrived in the mail yesterday. A little late considering my birthday is in July but there was a bit of a snafu with the check she mailed me several months ago. I was not upset about it and did not expect the money to be replaced so its arrival was a welcome surprise. This time, however, it was cold, hard cash, the kind that burns holes in my pockets quicker than you can blink. Today, I decided to put a portion of my present to good use and bought myself a new book. I picked up my own copy of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: St. Louis, which I hope will inspire me to get off the couch more often as the cold weather approaches.

I have a longstanding love affair with books. I rarely buy them but when I do, my entire day brightens. Normally, I try and keep mine as pristine as possible but this one I bought specifically to mark up and get dirty. I already checked off the hikes I have completed (nine and counting) and fully intend to keep it in my hiking bag. This book will serve as a reminder of all the places that I have been and a nudge to get me to explore new territory. I have been slacking quite a bit on that front lately so I am making plans to hike again this weekend if the weather holds. It should be a bit chilly, which makes for a great hike. Maybe this time, I will be able to persuade someone into joining me. Who knows? Crazier things have happened.

Joyful news! Yesterday, I got my grubby hands on my Blues partial season tickets! I went in with a couple coworkers to get a ten-game pack and with the season knocking on the door, I was starting to wonder when the tickets would arrive. I have been contemplating my attire for the home opener, debating whether a new blue wig is in order or if I should stick to my tried and true one. See photo for more details. I am rocking my Tkachuk jersey at this point but I believe this year, I will bust out my plain Reebok home sweater since I bought it late in the season last year and had only a few games to break it in. Now is the time of year to purchase a new wig, though, so if that is the consensus, I will have to get moving.

My season prep list is well underway. I assessed the priority need for a new sweater (high). I marked my calendar with the corresponding dates of my ten-game pack (last month, in fact). I am reading St. Louis Game Time (daily, if not more frequently). The last thing I have to decide is what to do about all the other games I am not attending. I do not currently have cable and am really reluctant to give Charter another dime since I already feel that my internet connection is a waste of money since it frequently goes out. But if I do not pay for it, will I be able to adequately follow my favorite team? I can always stream the radio broadcast, which hands down has better announcers than the TV version (Darren Pang is beyond awful), but will that be enough? I could head to a bar to watch but then I have to pay for drinks. I could annoy my friends enough to let me visit for the games but I have a feeling that will wear on their nerves rather quickly. It is a thorny problem and one that needs a solution fairly soon.

LGB! The countdown to October 8th has begun!

I have been reading The Heart and the Fist by Eric Greitens for the past couple weeks and it has really made me reevaluate my own life. I must first say that Eric seems unreal and had this been a novel, I would have scoffed at the concept. Honestly, no real person goes to college, does humanitarian work in Rowanda, is selected as a Rhodes scholar, and then decides to become a Navy Seal. He is now working on his non-profit, The Mission Continues, to challenge wounded and disabled vets to return to service in their communities. I highly recommend checking this group out, especially the employee bios. Simply amazing. Just listing out Eric’s achievements makes my head swim and then I take a look at my resume and realize that I have done very little thus far. Sure, I have challenged myself mentally and academically numerous times but my impact on this world has been minimal, if that. It is a lot to process and while there are numerous options out there, none of them feel like the right one yet.

End trail!

This leads me to Friday. I had been thinking that I needed a physical challenge after reading the chapter on the Navy Seal’s Hell Week. I, for one, would be ringing that bell after about half an hour on the first day but I figured that I could do something that was still challenging but a bit less extreme. I decided to create a T-athalon to alleviate some stress. To this end, I did an hour of yoga, attempted to run in Forest Park, and hiked the White Bison trail in Lone Elk Park. I will admit that I was a bit overambitious on the running part, as I only managed 22 minutes of it before giving up, but overall, I was quite proud of myself. It was no Hell Week but it was a great start to even more ambitious physical challenges.

My vote for most annoying plant

One last thing: You need to do more routine trail maintenance, St. Louis County Parks Department. I spent nearly as much time picking little green burrs out of my pants than I did actually hiking due to all the overgrowth along the pathways. I am not opposed to pushing plants aside every now and again but to wade through them and come out with a leg full of clinging burrs is obnoxious.