…or how I lost a few pounds and turned fat in to muscle…

Bench Press
Fly*
Curl
Lateral Raise
Front Raise
Cable Pushdown
Dip*
Leg-Hip Raise
Seated Row*
Cable Pulldown
Back Extension
Leg Press
* - Once in a while.

Three sets of each, thirty seconds of rest between sets. Lower weight/higher number of reps. Done and done.

Lower body/Cardio: Elliptical Trainer. 15-20 minutes.

Last Tuesday I showed up to work with freshly pressed CD’s and told work I was going to hit the road the next day to live out the rock ‘n’ roll fantasy. That’s right. I boarded a van with four smelly adult males and made the trip to the Twin Cities and back. A forty-eight hour trip with shows in two cities right when summer’s humid embrace hugged the midwest like an over eager aunt!

Sure, I could talk about the empty club in Madison or making a huge detour because the one bridge you need to cross I-35W in Minneapolis was literally out but who has the time? I’m here to talk about what I ate.

- Dateline : Wednesday Afternoon - Beefaroo’s Mushroom and Swiss burger. I’m not a cheese eater, but the menu at this particular location just across the WI-IL border in Beloit, WI listed it as “Mushroom Burger.” I swallowed my pride and my lactaid pill. In my mind, Beefaroo is a lower quality version of Culvers but at least I didn’t come away hungry.

- Dateline : Wednesday Evening - Lyndale Grocery and Deli’s Chicken Gyro and Fries. I’ve been in to the Chicken Swarma lately. I think I’m just fooling myself into thinking it’s a healthy option. A tasty, filling meal…much more satisfying than the lunch.

- Dateline: Early Thursday Morning - McDonalds. Oh boy…where do I begin? It was late, we were hungry. What can I say? Sometimes you want pizza and sometimes you want a 10-piece McNuggets, Fries and a Coke. 460 Calories and 29 grams of fat from the chicken, 380 Calories and 19 grams of fat from the fries. I Popped two antacids after the meal and called it a night. Is a late night McDonald’s meal the healthiest option? You be the judge.

- Dateline: Thursday Morning - Bruegger’s Bagels. Our bodies collectively sighed in relief that we weren’t going to punish our bodies…plus we wanted to get to Madison as soon as we could. My choice? Sausage and Egg (no cheese) on a garlic bagel. Not too shabby. I think my body appreciated the break.

- Dateline: Thursday Afternoon - Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry. I had a burger with the works, mushrooms and fries. I did feel weighted down for the rest of night…that is, until I was starving come bar time. That being said, we went ahead and …

- Dateline: Early Friday Morning - Gumby’s Pizza. Ah yes. The classic throwback to when we were 18 years old and ordering a pizza at 3 in the morning felt like we were finally independent people. Yeah. Right. Two slices of pizza and a few Pokey sticks made getting up at 8:30am the next morning much less difficult. Woo.

- Dateline: Friday Morning - Gas Station Submarine. It sucked and capped what looks like a terrible eating streak. I usually toss the cheese, but there seemed to be something else melted into the bread, so I threw most of it away and ate the crown with the ham. What a capper….

So that’s life on the road and it’s only two days worth. I can’t imagine what a 30 day tour diet looks like. You’re forced to choose convenience and if it’s after 2am, you’re have to go with what’s open. Being away from the gym, my body feels off right now…but that’s fine. It’s a small price to pay to be a pretend musician.

I was doing some brainstorming at the local YMCA last night and realized that the only thing that would interest me enough to post on here regularly would be to post lists. Lists of anything. What better way to get to know me without putting myself out there than by what I rank? Feel free to suggest topics but this will keep things interesting.

In a way I’d be mailing in the whole idea of keeping strangers and friends up to date on where I’m at, but I’m over the whole ‘dear diary’ purpose of personal web logs. What I think and in what order will probably be way more interesting than what I did five years ago. So as we welcome a new season I will try once again to revive LeftoverChinese.com. Will this attempt stall? You be the judge. Without further ado…

Welcome to Leftover Chinese : The List Era.

My four favorite Temperature Ranges In this Temperate Climate (degrees Fahrenheit):

I. 70 - 80 : Warm, but not too warm. Enough heat to work up a lather if you want to, but comfortable for the most part. Perfect walking weather.

II. 60 - 70 : Not too hot, not too cold. You’re comfortable in jeans and tshirt and if you’re cool, you can put something on. Perfect sleeping weather.

III. 80 - 90 : Depending on humidity, it’s enjoyable for the most part. You’ll definitely sweat but that’s not such a bad thing. Perfect sitting weather.

IV: 50 - 60 : Perfect fall temps but terrible for early summer. This range makes everybody complain unless it’s December. Perfect raking weather.