Time’s a Wasted Go

I have no idea what inspired me to make corned beef and cabbage for dinner last night. Yes, it was St. Patrick’s Day. I get that. But I am not Irish and have only ever made the dish once before in my life. It’s hardly a tradition in my household. Nevertheless, there I was, cooking a corned beef brisket and assorted veggies in the crockpot. I’m glad I did, too: dinner was delicious. I didn’t have any potatoes since this was not a well thought out plan so I ended up subbing sweet potatoes. I was not sure if these would work, but they soaked up flavor from the brining liquid and were great.

I know what I’m making next year.

Then again, Deadwood has a big St. Patrick’s Day parade and pub crawl complete with a Leprechaun Olympics and live music, so maybe we’ll don the green in 2019 and head out there. I have a feeling we’ll be making a whole new bunch of traditions once we move.

The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back. Tara wanted to get some stuff done around the apartment, so I headed into Portland for lunch and some record shopping. We are taking Audrey out to dinner tonight. Not much else of any consequence is taking place.

I had my annual checkup on Thursday, and my doctor officially declared me diabetes-free. He’s been reluctant to call me “cured” but admitted that my A1C levels have been normal to low for 2.5+ years now and I am not even borderline diabetic, so he removed the diagnosis from my chart. Hallelujah! Now I can start mainlining Lucky Charms again. They’re magically delicious!

I kid, of course. I’m not suddenly going to call a truce with sugar. But I might allow myself a root beer or something, once in a blue moon, now that I know it won’t kill me. Mostly I’ll stick with the diet and lifestyle changes that have been so successful for me. My doctor jokes that I am the poster child for the rest of his patients, and it was a little bittersweet to say goodbye to him. But he shook my hand, wished me well in South Dakota, and made sure I had enough prescription refills to last me six-nine months, so I’m set.

After my doctor’s appointment, Tara took me out to dinner and a concert at the Roseland Theater in Portland. She had bought me Stone Temple Pilots tickets for Christmas, knowing I was always a big fan of the band. Even though Scott Weiland has passed on, they put on a great show with their new lead singer, Jeff Gutt. Played lots of ’90s grunge classics from their oeuvre, to borrow a big word, as well as a few songs from their just-released new album. It was a fun night, and we got to check out a venue we’d never been to before. The Roseland is definitely a bit rougher around the edges than, say, Mississippi Studios. I would say the same thing about the crowd, come to think of it.

We still have several shows on our calendar before we leave: Hamilton: the Musical, The Moondoggies, and Paul Simon. Knowing us, we’ll probably add another couple to the mix, as well. Gotta take advantage while we can.

Now that our countdown has dropped to double digits and spring – our final season here – is days away, we’re starting to get serious about the move. I’ve contacted a moving company for an estimate to see if we can afford to have somebody do the dirty work for us. Otherwise, we’ll be driving the U-Haul ourselves.

Countdown: 97 Days